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JACK  TIER; 


OR, 


THE     FLORIDA     REEF. 


BY    J.    FENIMORE    COOPER. 


Ay,  now  I  am  in  Arden;  the  more  fool 

I ;  when  I  was  at  home  I  was  in  a  better  place ;  but 

Travellers  must  be  content. 

As  You  Like  It, 


IN      TWO      VOLUME 
VOL,  L 


NEW    EDITION. 


NEW    YORK: 
STRINGER      AND      TOWNSEKD 

1852, 


„ 


Entered,  accpr£irjg  to  $lip  Act  of  Congies*.  >n  the  year  1848,  by 
J.  FENIMORE  COOPER, 

in  the  clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Northern  District 
of  JNew  Yorfe. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  work  has  already  appeared  in  Graham's  Mag 
azine,  under  the  title  of  "  Rose  Budd."  The  change 
of  name  is  solely  the  act  of  the  author,  and  arises  from 
a  conviction  that  the  appellation  given  in  this  pub 
lication  is  more  appropriate  than  the  one  laid  aside. 
The  necessity  of  writing  to  a  name,  instead  of  getting 
it  from  the  incidents  of  the  book  itself,  has  been  the 
cause  of  this  departure  from  the  ordinary  rules. 

When  this  book  was  commenced,  it  was  generally 
supposed  that  the  Mexican  war  would  end,  after  a  few 
months  of  hostilities.  Such  was  never  the  opinion  of 
the  writer.  He  has  ever  looked  forward  to  a  pro 
tracted  struggle ;  and,  now  that  Congress  has  begun 
to  interfere,  sees  as  little  probability  of  its  termination, 
as  on  the  day  it  commenced.  Whence  honourable  gen 
tlemen  have  derived  their  notions  of  the  constitution, 
when  they  advance  the  doctrine  that  Congress  is  an 

MlG287{> 


iv  PREFACE. 

American  Aulic  council,  empowered  to  encumber  the 
movements  of  armies,  and,  as  old  Blucher  expressed 
it  in  reference  to  the  diplomacy  of  Europe,  "  to  spoil 
with  the  pen  the  work  achieved  by  the  sword,"  it  is 
difficult  to  say  more  than  this,  that  they  do  not  get 
them  from  the  constitution  itself.  It  has  generally 
been  supposed  that  the  present  executive  was  created 
in  order  to  avoid  the  very  evils  of  a  distracted  and 
divided  council,  which  this  new  construction  has  a 
direct  tendency  to  revive.  But  a  presidential  election 
has  ever  proved,  and  probably  will  ever  prove,  stronger 
than  any  written  fundamental  law. 

We  have  had  occasion  to  refer  often  to  Mexico  in 
these  pages.  It  has  been  our  aim  to  do  so  in  a  kind 
spirit ;  for,  while  we  have  never  doubted  that  the  fac 
tions  which  have  possessed  themselves  of  the  govern 
ment  in  that  country  have  done  us  great  wrong,  wrong 
that  would  have  justified  a  much  earlier  appeal  to 
arms,  we  have  always  regarded. the  class  of  Mexicans 
who  alone  can  properly  be  termed  the  '  people,'  as  mild, 
amiable,  and  disposed  to  be  on  friendly  terms  with  us. 
Providence,  however,  directs  all  to  the  completion  of 
its  own  wise  ends.  If  the  crust  which  has  so  long 
encircled  that  nation,  enclosing  it  in  bigotry  and  igno 
rance,  shall  now  be  irretrievably  broken,  letting  in 
light,  even  Mexico  herself  may  have  cause  hereafter 
to  rejoice  in  her  present  disasters'.  It  was  in  this  way 
that  Italy  has  been,  in  a  manner,  regenerated;  the 


PREFACE.  V 

conquests  of  the  French  carrying  in  their  train  tho 
means  and  agencies  which  have,  at  length,  aroused 
that  glorious  portion  of  the  earth  to  some  of  its  ancient 
spirit.  Mexico,  in  certain  senses,  is  the  Italy  of  this 
continent ;  and  war,  however  ruthless  and  much  to  be 
deplored,  may  yet  confer  on  her  the  inestimable  bless 
ings  of  real  liberty,  and  a  religion  released  from  "feux 
d'artifice"  as  well  as  all  other  artifices. 

A  word  on  the  facts  of  our  legend.  The  attentive 
observer  of  men  and  things  has  many  occasions  to 
note  the  manner  in  which  ordinary  lookers  on  deceive 
themselves,  as  well  as  others.  The  species  of  treason 
portrayed  in  these  pages  is  no  uncommon  occurrence ; 
and  it  will  often  be  found  that  the  traitor  is  the  loudest 
in  his  protestations  of  patriotism.  It  is  a  pretty  safe 
rule  to  suspect  the  man  of  hypocrisy  who  makes  a 
parade  of  his  religion,  and  the  partisan  of  corruption 
and  selfishness,  who  is  clamorous  about  the  rights  of 
the  people.  Captain  Spike  was  altogether  above  the 
first  vice;  though  fairly  on  level,  as  respects  the  second, 
with  divers  patriots  who  live  by  their  deity. 


JACK  TIER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Pros.     Why,  that's  my  spirit ! 

But  was  not  this  nigh  shore  ? 
Ariel.    Close  by,  my  master. 
Pros.     But  are  they,  Ariel,  safe? 
Ariel    Not  a  hair  perished. 

Tempest. 

"D'YE  here  there,  Mr.  Mulford  ?"  called  out  Capt.  Stephen 
Spike,  of  the  half-rigged,  brigantine  Swash,  or  Molly  Swash, 
as  was  her  registered  name,  to  his  mate — "  we  shall  be  drop 
ping  out  as  soon  as  the  tide  makes,  and  I  intend  to  get 
through  the  Gate,  at  least,  on  the  next  flood.  Waiting  for 
a  wind  in  port  is  lubberly  seamanship,  for  he  that  wants  one 
should  go  outside  and  look  for  it." 

This  call  was  uttered  from  a  wharf  of  the  renowned  city 
of  Manhattan,  to  one  who  was  in  the  trunk-cabin  of  a  clip 
per-looking  craft,  of  the  name  mentioned,  and  on  the  deck 
of  which  not  a  soul  was  visible.  Nor  was  the  wharf,  though 
one  of  those  wooden  piers  that  line  the  arm  of  the  sea  that 
is  called  the  East  River,  such  a  spot  as  ordinarily  presents 
itself  to  the  mind  of  the  reader,  or  listener,  when  an  allusion 
is  made  to  a  wharf  of  that  town  which  it  is  the  fashion  of 
the  times  to  call  the  Commercial  Emporium  of  America — 
as  if  there  might  very  well  be  an  emporium  of  any  other 
character.  The  wharf  in  question  had  not  a  single  vessel 
of  any  sort  lying  at,  or  indeed  very  near  it,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  Molly  Swash.  As  it  actually  stood  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  town,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  such  a 
wharf  could  only  be  found  high  up,  and  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  usual  haunts  of  commerce.  The  brig  lay 

(9) 


10  JACK  TIER; 

more  i'h.an  &  mile  above  the  Hook  (Corlaer's,  of  course,  is 
mea>it— next  vSar.id_y  Mwk)  and  quite  near  to  the  old  Alms 
House— far  above,  the  styp-yards,  in  fact.  It  was  a  solitary 
place  far  a  vessel,  inlhfiVnldk  of  a  crowd.  The  grum  top- 
chairi  voice  of  Captam-'  Spi1i<3  had  nothing  there  to  mingle 
with,  or  interrupt  its  harsh  tones,  and  it  instantly  brought 
on  deck  Harry  Mulford,  the  mate  in  question,  apparently 
eager  to  receive  his  orders. 

"Did  you  hail,  Captain  Spike  ?"  called  out  the  mate,  a 
tight,  well-grown,  straight-built,  handsome  sailor-lad  of  two 
or  three-and-twenly — one  full  of  health,  strength  and  manli 
ness. 

"Hail !  If  you  call  straining  a  man's  throat  until  he 's 
hoarse,  hailing,  I  believe  I  did.  I  flatter  myself,  there  is  not  a 
man  north  of  Hatteras  that  can  make  himself  heard  further  in 
gale  of  wind  than  a  certain  gentleman  who  is  to  be  found 
within  a  foot  of  the  spot  where  I  stand.  Yet,  sir,  I've  been 
hailing  the  Swash  these  five  minutes,  and  thankful  am  I  to 
find  some  one  at  last  who  is  on  board  to  answer  me." 

"  What  are  your  orders,  Capt.  Spike?" 

"  To  see  all  clear  for  a  start  as  soon  as  the  flood  makes. 
I  shall  go  through  the  Gate  on  the  next  young  flood,  and  I 
hope  you'll  have  all  the  hands  aboard  in  time.  I  see  two 
or  three  of  them  up  at  that  Dutch  beer-house,  this  moment, 
and  can  tell  'em,  in  plain  language,  if  they  come  here  with 
their  beer  aboard  them,  they  'II  have  to  go  ashore  again." 

"  You  have  an  uncommonly  sober  crew,  Capt.  Spike," 
answered  the  young  man,  with  great  calmness.  "  During 
the  whole  time  I  have  been  with  them,  I  have  not  seen  a 
man  among  them  the  least  in  the  wind." 

"  Well,  I  hope  it  will  turn  out  that  I  've  an  uncommonly 
sober  mate  in  the  bargain.  Drunkenness  I  abominate,  Mr. 
Mulford,  and  I  can  tell  you,  short  metre,  that  I  will  not 
stand  it." 

"  May  I  inquire  if  you  ever  saw  rne,  the  least  in  the  world, 
under  the  influence  of  liquor,  Capt.  Spike?"  demanded  the 
mate,  rather  than  asked,  with  a  very  fixed  meaning  in  his 
manner. 

"  I  keep  no  log-book  of  trifles,  Mr.  Mulford,  and  cannot 
say.  No  man  is  the  worse  for  bowsing  out  his  jib  when  off 
duty,  though  a  drunkard  's  a  thing  I  despise.  Well,  well— 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  11 

remember,  sir,  that  the  Molly  Swash  casts  off  on  the  young 
flood,  and  that  Rose  Budd  and  the  good  lady,  her  aunt,  take 
passage  in  her,  this  v'y'ge." 

"  Is  it  possible  that  you  have  persuaded  them  into  that,  at 
last !"  exclaimed  the  handsome  mate. 

"  Persuaded !  It  takes  no  great  persuasion,  sir,  to  get 
the  ladies  to  try  their  luck  in  that  brig.  Lady  Washington 
herself,  if  she  was  alive  and  disposed  to  a  sea-v'y'ge,  might 
be  glad  of  the  chance.  We've  a  ladies'  cabin,  you  know, 
and  it 's  suitable  that  it  should  have  some  one  to  occupy  it. 
Old  Mrs.  Budd  is  a  sensible  woman,  and  takes  time  by  the 
forelock.  Rose  is  ailin' — pulmonary  they  call  it,  I  believe, 
and  her  aunt  wishes  to  try  the  sea  for  her  constitution — " 

"  Rose  Budd  has  no  more  of  a  pulmonary  constitution 
than  I  have  myself,"  interrupted  the  mate. 

"Well,  that's  as  people  fancy.  You  must  know,  Mr. 
Mulford,  they  've  got  all  sorts  of  diseases  now-a-days,  and 
all  sorts  of  cures  for  'em.  One  sort  of  a  cure  for  consump 
tion  is  what  they  tarm  the  Hyder-Ally — " 

"  I  think  you  must  mean  hydropathy,  sir — " 

"Well  it's  something  of  the  sort,  no  matter  what — bu* 
cold  water  is  at  the  bottom  of  it,  and  they  do  say  it  ?s  a 
good  remedy.  Now  Rose's  aunt  thinks  if  cold  water  is 
what  is  wanted,  there  is  no  place  where  it  can  be  so  plenty 
as  out  on  the  ocean.  Sea-air  is  good,  too,  and  by  taking  a 
v'y'ge  her  niece  will  get  both  requisites  together,  and  cheap." 

"Does  Rose  Budd  think  herself  consumptive,  Capt. 
Spike?"  asked  Mulford,  with  interest. 

"  Not  she — you  know  it  will  never  do  to  alarm  a  pulmo 
nary,  so  Mrs.  Budd  has  held  her  tongue  carefully  on  the 
subject  before  the  young  woman.  Rose  fancies  that  her 
aunt  is  out  of  sorts,  and  that  the  v'y'ge  is  tried  on  her  ac 
count — but  the  aunt,  the  cunning  thing,  knows  all  about  it." 

Mulford  almost  nauseated  the  expression  of  his  command 
er's  countenance  while  Spike  uttered  the  last  words.  At 
no  time  was  that  countenance  very  inviting,  the  features  be 
ing  coarse  and  vulgar,  while  the  color  of  the  entire  face  was 
of  an  ambiguous  red,  in  which  liquor  and  the  seasons  would 
seem  to  be  blended  in  very  equal  quantities.  Such  a  coun 
tenance,  lighted  up  by  a  gleam  of  successful  management, 
not  to  say  with  hopes  and  wishes  that  it  will  hardly  do  to 


12  JACK  TIER; 

dwell  on,  could  not  but  be  revolting  to  a  youth  of  Harry 
Mulford's  generous  feelings,  and  most  of  all  to  one  who  en 
tertained  the  sentiments  which  he  was  quite  conscious  of  en 
tertaining  for  Rose  Budd.  The  young  man  made  no  reply, 
but  turned  his  face  toward  the  water,  in  order  to  conceal  the 
expression  of  disgust  that  he  was  sensible  must  be  strongly 
depicted  on  it. 

The  river,  as  the  well-known  arm  of  the  sea  in  which  the 
Swash  was  lying  is  erroneously  termed,  was  just  at  that 
moment  unusually  clear  of  craft,  and  not  a  sail,  larger  than 
that  of  a  boat,  was  to  be  seen  between  the  end  of  BlackwelPs 
Island  and  Corlaer's  Hook,  a  distance  of  about  a  league. 
This  stagnation  in  the  movement  of  the  port,  at  that  parti 
cular  point,  was  owing  to  the  slate  of  wind  and  tide.  Of  the 
first,  there  was  little  more  than  a  southerly  air,  while  the 
last  was  about  two-thirds  ebb.  Nearly  everything  that  was 
expected  on  that  tide,  coast-wise,  and  by  the  way  of  the 
Sound,  had  already  arrived,  and  nothing  could  go  eastward, 
with  that  light  breeze  and  under  canvas,  until  the  flood  made. 
Of  course  it  was  different  with  the  steamers,  who  were  pad 
dling  about  like  so  many  ducks,  steering  in  all  directions, 
though  mostly  crossing  and  re-crossing  at  the  ferries.  Just 
as  Mulford  turned  away  from  his  commander,  however,  a 
large  vessel  of  that  class  shoved  her  bows  into  the  view, 
doubling  the  Hook,  and  going  eastward.  The  first  glance 
at  this  vessel  sufficed  to  drive  even  Rose  Budd  momentarily 
out  of  the  minds  of  both  master  and  mate,  and  to  give  a  new 
current  to  their  thoughts.  Spike  had  been  on  the  point  of 
walking  up  the  wharf,  but  he  now  so  far  changed  his  pur 
pose  as  actually  to  jump  on  board  of  the  brig  and  spring  up 
alongside  of  his  mate,  on  the  taffrail,  in  order  to  get  a  better 
look  at  the  steamer.  Mulford,  who  loathed  so  much  in  his 
commander,  was  actually  glad  of  this,  Spike's  rare  merit  as 
a  seaman  forming  a  sort  of  attraction  that  held  him,  as  it 
might  be  against  his  own  will,  bound  to  his  service. 

"What  will  they  do  next,  Harry?"  exclaimed  the  master, 
his  manner  and  voice  actually  humanized,  in  air  and  sound 
at  least,  by  this  unexpected  view  of  something  new  in  his 
calling — "What  will  they  do  next?" 

"  I  see  no  wheels,  sir,  nor  any  movement  in  the  water 
astern,  as  if  she  were  a  propeller,"  returned  the  young  man. 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  13 

"She's  an  out-of-the-way  sort  of  a  hussy!  She's  a 
man-of-war,  too — one  of  Uncle  Sam's  new  efforts." 

"  That  can  hardly  be,  sir.  Uncle  Sam  has  but  three 
steamers,  of  any  size  or  force,  now  the  Missouri  is  burned; 
and  yonder  is  one  of  them,  lying  at  the  Navy  Yard,  while 
another  is,  or  was  lately,  laid  up  at  Boston.  The  third  is 
in  the  Gulf.  This  must  be  an  entirely  new  vessel,  if  she 
belong  to  Uncle  Sam." 

"  New  !  She 's  as  new  as  a  Governor,  and  they  tell  me 
they  've  got  so  now  that  they  choose  five  or  six  of  them,  up 
at  Albany,  every  fall.  That  craft  is  sea-going,  Mr.  Mulford, 
as  any  one  can  tell  at  a  glance.  She's  none  of  your  pas 
senger-hoys." 

"  That 's  plain  enough,  sir — and  she's  armed.  Perhaps 
she 's  English,  and  they  've  brought  her  here  into  this  open 
spot  to  try  some  new  machinery.  Ay,  ay  !  she's  about  to 
set  her  ensign  to  the  navy  men  at  the  yard,  and  we  shall  see 
to  whom  she  belongs." 

A  long,  low,  expressive  whistle  from  Spike  succeeded  this 
remark,  the  colours  of  the  steamer  going  up  to  the  end  of  a 
gaff  on  the  sternmost  of  her  schooner-rigged  masts,  just  as 
Mulford  ceased  speaking.  There  was  just  air  enough,  aided 
by  the  steamer's  motion,  to  open  the  bunting,  and  let  the 
spectators  see  the  design.  There  were  the  stars  and  stripes, 
as  usual,  but  the  last  ran  perpendicularly,  instead  of  in  a 
horizontal  direction. 

"  Revenue,  by  George  !"  exclaimed  the  master,  as  soon 
as  his  breath  was  exhausted  in  the  whistle.  "  Who  would 
have  believed  they  could  screw  themselves  up  to  doing 
such  a  thing  in  that  bloody  service?" 

"  I  now  remember  to  have  heard  that  Uncle  Sam  was 
building  some  large  steamers  for  the  revenue  service,  and, 
if  I  mistake  not,  with  some  new  invention  to  get  along  with, 
that  is  neither  wheel  nor  propeller.  This  must  be  one  of 
these  new  craft,  brought  out  here,  into  open  water,  just  to 
try  her,  sir." 

"  You  're  right,  sir,  you  're  right.  As  to  the  natur'  of  the 
beast,  you  see  her  buntin',  and  no  honest  man  can  want 
more.  If  there's  anything  I  do  hate,  it  is  that  flag,  with  its 
unnat'ral  stripes,  up  and  down,  instead  of  running  in  the 
true  old  way.  I  have  heard  a  lawyer  say,  that  the  revenue 

VOL.  I.  — 2 


14  JACK   TIER; 

flag  of  this  country  is  onconstitutioaal,  and  that  a  vessel 
carrying  it  on  the  high  seas  might  be  sent  in  for  piracy." 

Although  Harry  Mulford  was  neither  PufFendorf,  nor  Gro- 
tius,  he  had  too  much  common  sense,  and  too  little  prejudice 
in  favour  of  even  his  own  vocation,  to  swallow  such  a  theory, 
had  fifty  Cherry  Street  lawyers  sworn  to  its  justice.  A 
smile  crossed  his  fine,  firm-looking-  mouth,  and  something 
very  like  a  reflection  of  that  smile,  if  smiles  can  be  reflected 
in  one's  own  countenance,  gleamed  in  his  fine,  large,  dark 
eye. 

"It  would  be  somewhat  singular,  Capt.  Spike,"  he  said, 
"  if  a  vessel  belonging  to  any  nation  should  be  seized  as  a 
pirate.  The  fact  that  she  is  national  in  character  would 
clear  her." 

"  Then  let  her  carry  a  national  flag,  and  be  d — d  to  her," 
answered  Spike  fiercely.  "  I  can  show  you  law  for  what  I 
say,  Mr.  Mulford.  The  American  flag  has  its  stripes  fore 
and  -aft  by  law,  and  this  chap  carries  his  stripes  parpen- 
die  'lar.  If  I  commanded  a  cruiser,  and  fell  in  with  one  of 
these  up  and  down  gentry,  blast  me  if  I  wouldn  't  just  send 
him  into  port,  and  try  the  question  in  the  old  Alms-House." 

Mulford  probably  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  argue 
the  point  any  further,  understanding  the  dogmatism  and 
stolidity  of  his  commander  too  well  to  deem  it  necessary. 
He  preferred  to  turn  to  the  consideration  of  the  qualities  of 
the  steamer  in  sight,  a  subject  on  which,  as  seamen,  they 
might  better  sympathize. 

"  That 's  a  droll-looking  revenue  cutter,  after  all,  Capt. 
Spike,"  he  said — "  a  craft  better  fitted  to  go  in  a  fleet,  as  a 
look-out  vessel,  than  to  chase  a  smuggler  in-shore." 

"  And  no  goer  in  the  bargain !  I  do  not  see  how  she  gets 
along,  for  she  keeps  all  snug  under  water  ;  but,  unless  she 
can  travel  faster  than  she  does  just  now,  the  Molly  Swash 
would  soon  lend  her  the  Mother  Carey's  Chickens  of  her 
own  wake  to  amuse  her." 

"  She  has  the  tide  against  her,  just  here,  sir  ;  no  doubt 
she  would  do  better  in  still  water." 

Spike  muttered  something  between  his  teeth,  and  jumped 
down  on  deck,  seemingly  dismissing  the  subject  of  the  re 
venue  entirely  from  his  mind.  His  old,  coarse,  authorita 
tive  manner  returned,  and  he  again  spoke  to  his  mate  about 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  15 

Rose  Budd,  her  aunt,  the  "  ladies'  cabin, "  the  "  young  flood," 
and  "  casting  off,  "  as  soon  as  the  last  made.  Mulford  lis 
tened  respectfully,  though  with  a  manifest  distaste  for  the 
instructions  he  was  receiving.  He  knew  his  man,  and  a  feel 
ing  of  dark  distrust  came  over  him,  as  he  listened  to  his 
orders  concerning  the  famous  accommodations  he  intended 
to  give  to  Rose  Budd  and  that  "  capital  old  lady,  her  aunt ;" 
his  opinion  of  "  the  immense  deal  of  good  sea-air  and  a 
v'y'ge  would  do  Rose,"  and  how  "  comfortable  they  both 
would  be  on  board  the  Molly  Swash." 

*'  I  honour  and  respect,  Mrs.  Budd,  as  my  captain's  lady, 
you  see,  Mr.  Mulford,  and  intend  to  treat  her  accordin'ly. 
She  knows  it — and  Rose  knows  it — and  they  both  declare 
they  'd  rather  sail  with  me,  since  sail  they  must,  than  with 
any  other  ship-master  out  of  America." 

"  You  sailed  once  with  Capt.  Budd  yourself,  I  think  I  have 
heard  you  say,  sir  ?" 

"  The  old  fellow  brought  me  up.  I  was  with  him  from 
my  tenth  to  my  twentieth  year,  and  then  broke  adrift  to  see 
fashions.  We  all  do  that,  you  know,  Mr.  Mulford,  when  we 
are  young  and  ambitious,  and  my  turn  came  as  well  as 
another's." 

"  Capt.  Budd  must  have  been  a  good  deal  older  than  his 
wife,  sir,  if  you  sailed  with  him  when  a  boy,"  Mulford  ob 
served  a  little  drily. 

"  Yes;  I  own  to  forty-eight,  though  no  one  would  think 
me  more  than  five  or  six-and-thirty,  to  look  at  me.  There 
was  a  great  difference  between  old  Dick  Budd  and  his  wife, 
as  you  say,  he  being  about  fifty,  when  he  married,  and  she 
less  than  twenty.  Fifty  is  a  good  age  for  matrimony,  in  a 
man,  Mulford  ;  as  is  twenty  in  a  young  woman." 

"  Rose  Budd  is  not  yet  nineteen,  I  have  heard  her  say," 
returned  the  mate,  with  emphasis. 

"  Youngish,  I  will  own,  but  that's  a  fault  a  liberal-minded 
man  can  overlook.  Every  day,  too,  will  lessen  it.  Well, 
look  to  the  cabins,  and  see  all  clear  for  a  start.  Josh  will 
be  down  presently  with  a  cart-load  of  stores,  and  you'll  take 
'em  aboard  without  delay." 

As  Spike  uttered  this  order,  his  foot  was  on  the  plank- 
sheer  of  the  bulwarks,  in  the  act  of  passing  to  the  wharf 
again.  On  reaching  the  shore,  he  turned  and  looked  intent- 


16  JACK  TIER; 

ly  at  the  revenue  steamer,  and  his  lips  moved,  as  ifhe  were 
secretly  uttering  maledictions  on  her.  We  say  maledictions, 
as  the  expression  of  his  fierce  ill-favoured  countenance  too 
plainly  showed  that  they  could  not  be  blessings.  As  for 
Mulford,  there  was  still  something  on  his  mind,  and  he  fol 
lowed  to  the  gangway  ladder  and  ascended  it,  waiting  for  a 
moment  when  the  mind  of  his  commander  might  be  less  oc 
cupied  to  speak.  The  opportunity  soon  occurred,  Spike  hav 
ing  satisfied  himself  with  the  second  look  at  the  steamer. 

"  I  hope  you  do  n't  mean  to  sail  again  without  a  second 
mate,  Capt.  Spike  ?"  he  said. 

"  I  do  though,  I  can  tell  you.  I  hate  Dickies — they  are 
always  in  the  way,  and  the  captain  has  to  keep  just  as  much 
of  a  watch  with  one  as  without  one." 

"  That  will  depend  on  his  quality.  You  and  I  have  both 
been  Dickies  in  our  time,  sir;  and  my  lime  was  not  long 
ago." 

"  Ay — ay — I  know  all  about  it — but  you  did  n  't  stick  to 
it  long  enough  to  get  spoiled.  I  would  have  no  man  aboard 
the  Swash  who  made  more  than  two  v'y'ges  as  second  officer. 
As  I  want  no  spies  aboard  my  craft,  I  '11  try  it  once  more 
without  a  Dicky." 

Saying  this  in  a  sufficiently  positive  manner,  Capt.  Ste 
phen  Spike  rolled  up  the  wharf,  much  as  a  ship  goes  off 
before  the  wind,  now  inclining  to  the  right,  and  then  again 
to  the  left.  The  gait  of  the  man  would  have  proclaimed  him 
a  sea-dog,  to  any  one  acquainted  with  that  animal,  as  far 
as  he  could  be  seen.  The  short  squab  figure,  the  arms 
bent  nearly  at  right  angles  at  the  elbow,  and  working  like 
two  fins  with  each  roll  of  the  body,  the  stumpy,  solid  legs, 
with  the  feet  looking  in  the  line  of  his  course  and  kept  wide 
apart,  would  all  have  contributed  to  the  making  up  of  such 
an  opinion.  Accustomed  as  he  was  to  this  beautiful  sight, 
Harry  Mulford  kept  his  eyes  riveted  on  the  retiring  person 
of  his  commander,  until  it  disappeared  behind  a  pile  of  lum 
ber,  waddling  always  in  the  direction  of  the  more  thickly 
peopled  parts  of  the  town.  Then  he  turned  and  gazed  at 
the  steamer,  which,  by  this  time,  had  fairly  passed  the  brig, 
and  seemed  to  be  actually  bound  through  the  Gate.  That 
steamer  was  certainly  a  noble-looking  craft,  but  our  young 
man  fancied  she  struggled  along  through  the  water  heavily, 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  17 

She  night  be  quick  at  need,  but  she  did  not  promise  as 
much  If  her  present  rate  of  moving.  Still,  she  was  a  no- 
bie-looking  craft,  and,  as  Mulford  descended  to  the  deck 
again,  he  almost  regretted  he  did  not  belong  to  her  ;  or,  at 
least,  to  anything  but  the  Molly  Swash. 

Two  hours  produced  a  sensible  change  in  and  around 
that  brigantine.  Her  people  had  all  come  back  to  duty,  and 
what  was  very  remarkable  among  seafaring  folk,  sober  to  a 
man.  But,  as  has  been  said,  Spike  was  a  temperance  man, 
as  respects  all  under  his  orders  at  least,  if  not  strictly  so  in 
practice  himself.  The  crew  of  the  Swash  was  large  for  a 
half-rigged  brig  of  only  two  hundred  tons,  but,  as  her  spars 
were  very  square,  and  all  her  gear  as  well  as  her  mould 
seemed  constructed  for  speed,  it  was  probable  more  hands 
than  common  were  necessary  to  work  her  with  facility  and 
expedition.  After  all,  there  were  not  many  persons  to  be 
enumerated  among  the  "  people  of  the  Molly  Swash,"  as 
they  called  themselves ;  not  more  than  a  dozen,  including 
those  aft,  as  well  as  those  forward.  A  peculiar  feature  of 
this  crew,  however,  was  the  circumstance  that  they  were  all 
middle-aged  men,  with  the  exception  of  the  mate,  and  all 
thorough. bred  sea-dogs.  Even  Josh,  the  cabin-boy,  as  he 
was  called,  was  an  old,  wrinkled,  gray-headed  negro,  of  near 
sixty.  If  the  crew  wanted  a  little  in  the  elasticity  of  youth, 
it  possessed  the  steadiness  and  experience  of  their  time  of 
life,  every  man  appearing  to  know  exactly  what  to  do,  and 
when  to  do  it.  This,  indeed,  composed  their  great  merit ; 
an  advantage  that  Spike  well  knew  how  to  appreciate. 

The  stores  had  been  brought  alongside  of  the  brig  in  a 
cart,  and  were  already  stowed  in  their  places.  Josh  had 
brushed  and  swept,  until  the  ladies'  cabin  could  be  made  no 
neater.  This  ladies'  cabin  was  a  small  apartment  beneath 
a  trunk,  which  was,  ingeniously  enough,  separated  from  the 
main  cabin  by  pantries  and  double  doors.  The  arrange 
ment  was  unusual,  and  Spike  had  several  times  hinted  that 
there  was  a  history  connected  with  that  cabin  ;  though  what 
the  history  was  Mulford  never  could  induce  him  to  relate. 
The  latter  knew  that  the  brig  had  been  used  for  a  forced 
trade  on  the  Spanish  Main,  and  had  heard  something  of  her 
deeds  in  bringing  off  specie,  and  proscribed  persons,  at  dif 
ferent  epochs  in  the  revolutions  of  that  part  of  the  world, 
2* 


18  JACK   TIER; 

and  he  had  always  understood  that  her  present  commander 
and  owner  had  sailed  in  her,  as  mate,  for  many  years  before 
he  had  risen  to  his  present  station.  Now,  all  was  regular 
in  the  way  of  records,  bills  of  sale,  and  other  documents ; 
Stephen  Spike  appearing  in  both  the  capacities  just  named. 
The  register  proved  that  the  brig  had  been  built  as  far  back 
as  the  last  English  war,  as  a  private  cruiser,  but  recent  and 
extensive  repairs  had  made  her  "  better  than  new,"  as  her 
owner  insisted,  and  there  was  no  question  as  to  her  sea 
worthiness.  It  is  true  the  insurance  offices  blew  upon  her, 
and  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  a  craft  that  had  seen  her 
two  score  years  and  ten ;  but  this  gave  none  who  belonged 
to  her  any  concern,  inasmuch  as  they  could  scarcely  have 
been  underwritten  in  their  trade,  let  the  age  of  the  vessel  be 
what  it  might.  It  was  enough  for  them  that  the  brig  was 
safe  and  exceedingly  fast,  insurances  never  saving  the  lives 
of  the  people,  whatever  else  might  be  their  advantages. 
With  Mulford  it  was  an  additional  recommendation,  that 
the  Swash  was  usually  thought  to  be  of  uncommonly  just 
proportions. 

By  half-past  two,  P.  M.,  everything  was  ready  for  get 
ting  the  brigantine  under  way.  Her  fore-topsail — or  fore- 
tawsail  as  Spike  called  it — was  loose,  the  fasts  were  singled, 
and  a  spring  had  been  carried  to  a  post  in  the  wharf,  that 
was  well  forward  of  the  starboard  bow,  and  the  brig's  head 
turned  to  the  southwest,  or  down  the  stream,  and  conse 
quently  facing  the  young  flood.  Nothing  seemed  to  connect 
the  vessel  with  the  land  but  a  broad  gangway  plank,  to  which 
Mulford  had  attached  life-lines,  with  more  care  than  it  is 
usual  to  meet  with  on  board  of  vessels  employed  in  short 
voyages.  .The  men  stood  about  the  decks  with  their  arms 
thrust  into  the  bosoms  of  their  shirts,  and  the  whole  picture 
was  one  of  silent,  and  possibly  of  somewhat  uneasy  expec 
tation.  Nothing  was  said,  however ;  Mulford  walking  the 
quarter-deck  alone,  occasionally  looking  up  the  still  little 
tenanted  streets  of  that  quarter  of  the  suburbs,  as  if  to  search 
for  a  carriage.  As  for  the  revenue-steamer,  she  had  long 
before  gone  through  the  southern  passage  of  BlackwelPs, 
steering  for  the  Gate. 

"Dat  's  dem,  Mr.  Mulford,"  Josh  at  length  cried,  from  the 
look-out  he  had  taken  in  a  stern-port,  where  he  could  see 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  19 

over  the  low  bulwarks  of  the  vessel.  "  Yes,  dat's  dem,  sir. 
I  know  dat  old  gray  horse  dat  carries  his  head  so  low  and 
sorrowful  like,  as  a  horse  has  a  right  to  do  dat  has  to  drag 
a  cab  about  this  big  town.  My  eye !  what  a  horse  it  is, 
sir!" 

Josh  was  right,  not  only  as  to  the  gray  horse  that  carried 
his  head  "  sorrowful  like,"  but  as  to  the  cab  and  its  contents. 
The  vehicle  was  soon  on  the  wharf,  and  in  its  door  soon 
appeared  the  short,  sturdy  figure  of  Capt.  Spike,  backing  out, 
much  as  a  bear  descends  a  tree.  On  top  of  the  vehicle  were 
several  light  articles  of  female  appliances,  in  the  shape  of 
bandboxes,  bags,  &c.,  the  trunks  having  previously  arrived 
in  a  cart.  Well  might  that  over-driven  gray  horse  appear 
sorrowful,  and  travel  with  a  lowered  head.  The  cab,  when 
it  gave  up  its  contents,  discovered  a  load  of  no  less  than  four 
persons  besides  the  driver,  all  of  weight,  and  of  dimensions 
in  proportion,  with  the  exception  of  the  pretty  and  youthful 
Rose  Budd.  Even  she  was  plump,  and  of  a  well-rounded 
person ;  though  still  light  and  slender.  But  her  aunt  was 
a  fair  picture  of  a  ship-master's  widow  ;  solid,  comfortable 
and  buxom.  Neither  was  she  old,  nor  ugly.  On  the  con 
trary,  her  years  did  not  exceed  forty,  and  being  well  pre 
served,  in  consequence  of  never  having  been  a  mother,  she 
might  even  have  passed  for  thirty-five.  The  great  objection 
to  her  appearance  was  the  somewhat  indefinite  character  of 
her  shape,  which  seemed  to  blend  too  many  of  its  charms 
into  one.  The  fourth  person,  in  the  fare,  was  Biddy  Noon, 
the  Irish  servant  and  factotum  of  Mrs.  Budd,  who  was  a 
pock-marked,  red-faced,  and  red-armed  single  woman,  about 
her  mistress's  own  age  and  weight,  though  less  stout  to  the 
eye. 

Of  Rose  we  shall  not  stop  to  say  much  here.  Her  deep- 
blue  eye,  which  was  equally  spirited  and  gentle,  if  one  can 
use  such  contradictory  terms,  seemed  alive  with  interest  and 
curiosity,  running  over  the  brig,  the  wharf,  the  arm  of  the 
sea,  the  two  islands,  and  all  near  her,  including  the  Aims- 
House,  with  such  a  devouring  rapidity  as  might  be  expected 
in  a  town-bred  girl,  who  was  setting  out  on  her  travels  for 
the  first  time.  Let  us  be  understood  ;  we  say  town-bred, 
because  such  was  the  fact ;  for  Rose  Budd  had  been  both 
born  and  educated  in  Manhattan,  though  we  are  far  from 


20  JACK  TIER; 

wishing  to  be  understood  that  she  was  either  very  well-born, 
or  highly  educated.  Her  station  in  life  may  be  inferred  from 
that  of  her  aunt,  and  her  education  from  her  station.  Of  the 
two,  the  last  was,  perhaps,  a  trifle  the  highest. 

We  have  said  that  the  fine  blue  eye  of  Rose  passed  swiftly 
over  the  various  objects  near  her,  as  she  alighted  from  the 
cab,  and  it  naturally  took  in  the  form  of  Harry  Mulford,  as 
he  stood  in  the  gangway,  offering  his  arm  to  aid  her  aunt 
and  herself  in  passing  the  brig's  side.  A  smile  of  recogni 
tion  was  exchanged  between  the  young  people,  as  their  eyes 
met,  and  the  colour,  which  formed  so  bright  a  charm  in  Rose's 
sweet  face,  deepened,  in  a  way  to  prove  that  that  colour  spoke 
with  a  tongue  and  eloquence  of  its  own.  Nor  was  Mulford's 
cheek  mute  on  the  occasion,  though  he  helped  the  hesitating, 
half-doubting,  half-bold  girl  along  ihe  plank  with  a  steady 
hand  and  rigid  muscles.  As  for  the  aunt,  as  a  captain's 
widow,  she  "had  not  felt  it  necessary  to  betray  any  extraor 
dinary  emotions  in  ascending  the  plank,  unless,  indeed,  it 
might  be  those  of  delight  on  finding  her  foot  once  more  on 
the  deck  of  a  vessel ! 

Something  of  the  same  feeling  governed  Biddy,  too,  for, 
as  Mulford  civilly  extended  his  hand  to  her  also,  she  ex 
claimed — 

"  No  fear  of  me,  Mr.  Mate — I  came  from  Ireland  by  wa« 
ther,  and  knows  all  about  ships  and  brigs,  I  do.  If  you 
could  have  seen  the  times  we  had,  and  the  saas  we  crossed, 
you  'd  not  think  it  nadeful  to  say  much  to  the  likes  iv  me." 

Spike  had  tact  enough  to  understand  he  would  be  out  of 
his  element  in  assisting  females  along  that  plank,  and  he 
was  busy  in  sending  what  he  called  "  the  old  lady*s  dun 
nage"  on  board,  and  in  discharging  the  cabman.  As  soon 
as  this  was  done,  he  sprang  into  the  main-channels,  and 
thence  vid  the  bulwarks,  on  deck,  ordering  the  plank  to  be 
hauled  aboard.  A  solitary  labourer  was  paid  a  quarter  to 
throw  off  the  fasts  from  the  ring-bolts  and  posts,  and  every 
thing  was  instantly  in  motion  to  cast  the  brig  loose.  Work 
went  on  as  if  the  vessel  were  in  haste,  and  it  consequently 
went  on  with  activity.  Spike  bestirred  himself,  giving  his 
orders  in  a  way  to  denote  he  had  been  long  accustomed  to 
exercise  authority  on  the  deck  of  a  vessel,  and  knew  his 
calling  to  its  minutise.  The  only  ostensible  difference  be- 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA    REEF.  21 

tween  his  deportment  to-day  and  on  any  ordinary  occasion, 
perhaps,  was  in  the  circumstance  that  he  now  seemed  anxious 
to  get  clear  of  the  wharf,  and  that  in  a  way  which  might 
have  attracted  notice  in  any  suspicious  and  attentive  obser 
ver.  It  is  possible  that  such  a  one  was  not  very  distant,  and 
that  Spike  was  aware  of  his  presence,  for  a  respectable-look 
ing,  well-dressed,  middle-aged  man  had  come  down  one  of 
the  adjacent  streets,  to  a  spot  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the 
wharf,  and  stood  silently  watching  the  movements  of  the 
brig,  as  he  leaned  against  a  fence.  The  want  of  houses  in 
that  quarter  enabled  any  person  to  see  this  stranger  from 
the  deck  of  the  Swash,  but  no  one  on  board  her  seemed  to 
regard  him  at  all,  unless  it  might  be  the  master. 

"  Come,  bear  a  hand,  my  hearty,  and  toss  that  bow-fast 
clear,"  cried  the  captain,  whose  impatience  to  be  off  seemed 
to  increase  as  the  time  to  do  so  approached  nearer  and  near 
er.  "  Off  with  it,  at  once,  and  let  her  go." 

The  man  on  the  wharf  threw  the  turns  of  the  hawser  clear 
of  the  post,  and  the  Swash  was  released  forward.  A  smaller 
line,  for  a  spring,  had  been  run  some  distance  along  the 
wharves,  ahead  of  the  vessel,  and  brought  in  aft.  Her  peo 
ple  clapped  on  this,  and  gave  way  to  their  craft,  which,  being 
comparatively  light,  was  easily  moved,  and  was  very  man 
ageable.  As  this  was  done,  the  distant  spectator  who  had 
been  leaning  on  the  fence  moved  toward  the  wharf  with  a 
step  a  little  quicker  than  common.  Almost  at  the  same  in 
stant,  a  short,  stout,  sailor-like  looking  little  person,  waddled 
down  the  nearest  street,  seeming  to  be  in  somewhat  of  a 
hurry,  and  presently  he  joined  the  other  stranger,  and  ap 
peared  to  enter*  into  conversation  with  him ;  pointing  toward 
the  Swash  as  he  did  so.  All  this  time,  both  continued  to 
advance  toward  the  wharf. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Spike  and  his  people  were  not  idle. 
The  tide  did  not  run  very  strong  near  the  wharves  and  in 
the  sort  of  a  bight  in  which  the  vessel  had  lain  ;  but,  such  as 
it  was,  it  soon  took  the  brig  on  her  inner  bow,  and  began  to 
cast  her  head  off  shore.  The  people  at  the  spring  pulled 
away  with  all  their  force,  and  got  sufficient  motion  on  their 
vessel  to  overcome  the  tide,  and  to  give  the  rudder  an  influ 
ence.  The  latter  was  put  hard  a-starboard,  and  helped  to 
cast  the  brig's  head  to  the  southward. 


22  JACKTIER; 

Down  to  this  moment,  the  only  sail  that  was  loose  on 
board  the  Swash  was  the  fore-topsail,  as  mentioned.  This 
still  hung  in  the  gear,  but  a  hand  had  been  sent  aloft  to  over 
haul  the  buntlines  and  clewlines,  and  men  were  also  at  the 
sheets.  In  a  minute  the  sail  was  ready  for  hoisting.  The 
Swash  carried  a  wapper  of  a  fore-and-aft  mainsail,  and,  what 
is  more,  it  was  fitted  with  a  standing  gaff,  for  appearance  in 
port.  At  sea,  Spike  knew  better  than  to  trust  to  this  arrange 
ment  ;  but  in  fine  weather,  and  close  in  with  the  land,  he 
found  it  convenient  to  have  this  sail  haul  out  and  brail  like 
a  ship's  spanker.  As  the  gaff  was  now  aloft,  it  was  only 
necessary  to  let  go  the  brails  to  loosen  this  broad  sheet  of 
canvas,  and  to  clap  on  the  out-hauler,  to  set  it.  This  was 
probably  the  reason  why  the  brig  was  so  unceremoniously 
cast  into  the  stream,  without  showing  more  of  her  cloth. 
The  jib  and  flying-jibs,  however,  did  at  that  moment  drop 
beneath  their  booms,  ready  for  hoisting. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  as  the  two  strangers  came 
first  upon  the  wharf.  Spike  was  on  the  taffrail,  overhauling 
the  main-sheet,  and  Mulford  was  near  him,  casting  the  fore- 
topsail  braces  from  the  pins,  preparatory  to  clapping  on  the 
halyards. 

"  I  say,  Mr.  Mulford,"  asked  the  captain,  "  did  you  ever 
see  either  of  them  chaps  afore  ?  These  jokers  on  the  wharf, 
I  mean." 

"  Not  to  my  recollection,  sir,"  answered  the  mate,  looking 
over  the  taffrail  to  examine  the  parties.  "  The  little  one  is 
a  burster !  The  funniest-looking  little  fat  old  fellow  I  Ve 
seen  in  many  a  day." 

"  Ay,  ay,  them  fat  little  bursters,  as  you  call  'em,  are 
sometimes  full  of  the  devil.  I  do  n't  like  either  of  the  chaps, 
and  am  right  glad  we  are  well  cast,  before  they  got  here." 

"  I  do  not  think  either  would  be  likely  to  do  us  much 
harm,  Capt.  Spike." 

"  There 's  no  knowing,  sir.  The  biggest  fellow  looks  as 
if  he  might  lug  out  a  silver  oar  at  any  moment." 

"  I  believe  the  silver  oar  is  no  longer  used,  in  this  coun 
try  at  least,"  answered  Mulford,  smiling.  "  And  if  it  were, 
what  have  we  to  fear  from  it  ?  I  fancy  the  brig  has  paid 
her  reckoning." 

"  She  do  n't  owe  a  cent,  nor  ever  shall  for  twenty-four 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  23 

hours  after  the  bill  is  made  out,  while  I  own  Tier.  They 
call  me  ready-money  Stephen,  round  among  the  ship-chan 
dlers  and  caulkers.  But  I  do  n't  like  them  chaps,  and  what 
I  do  n't  relish  I  never  swallow,  you  know." 

"  They  '11  hardly  try  to  get  aboard  us,  sir ;  you  see  wo 
are  quite  clear  of  the  wharf,  and  the  mainsail  will  take  now, 
if  we  set  it." 

Spike  ordered  the  mate  to  clap  on  the  outhauler,  and 
spread  that  broad  sheet  of  canvas  at  once  to  the  little  breeze 
there  was.  This  was  almost  immediately  done,  when  the 
sail  filled,  and  began  to  be  felt  on  the  movement  of  the  ves 
sel.  Still,  that  movement  was  very  slow,  the  wind  being  so 
light,  and  the  vis  inertia  of  so  large  a  body  remaining  to  be 
overcome.  The  brig  receded  from  the  wharf,  almost  in  a 
line  at  right  angles  to  its  face,  inch  by  inch,  as  it  might  be, 
dropping  slowly  up  with  the  tide  at  the  same  time.  Mulford 
now  passed  forward  to  set  the  jibs,  and  to  get  the  topsail  on 
the  craft,  leaving  Spike  on  the  taffrail,  keenly  eyeing  the 
strangers,  who,  by  this  time,  had  got  down  nearly  to  the 
end  of  the  wharf,  at  the  berth  so  lately  occupied  by  the 
Swash.  That  the  captain  was  uneasy  was  evident  enough, 
that  feeling  being  exhibited  in  his  countenance,  blended  with 
a  malignant  ferocity. 

"  Has  that  brig  any  pilot  ?"  asked  the  larger  and  better- 
looking  of  the  two  strangers. 

"  What 's  that  to  you,  friend  ?"  demanded  Spike,  in  return. 
"  Have  you  a  Hell-Gate  branch  ?" 

"  1  may  have  one,  or  I  may  not.  It  is  not  usual  for  so 
large  a  craft  to  run  the  Gate  without  a  pilot." 

"  Oh  !  my  gentleman 's  below,  brushing  up  his  logarithms. 
We  shall  have  him  on  deck  to  take  his  departure  before  long, 
when  I  '11  let  him  know  your  kind  inquiries  after  his  health." 

The  man  on  the  wharf  seemed  to  be  familiar  with  this 
sort  of  sea-wit,  and  he  made  no  answer,  but  continued  that 
close  scrutiny  of  the  brig,  by  turning  his  eyes  in  all  direc 
tions,  now  looking  below,  and  now  aloft,  which  had  in  truth 
occasioned  Spike's  principal  cause  for  uneasiness. 

"  Is  not  that  Capt.  Stephen  Spike,  of  the  brigantine  Molly 
Swash?"  called  out  the  little,  dumpling-looking  person,  in  a 
cracked,  dwarfish  sort  of  a  voice,  that  was  admirably  adapt 
ed  to  his  appearance.  Our  captain  fairly  started  ;  turned 


24  J  A  C  K     T  I  E  R  ; 

full  toward  the  speaker ;  regarded  him  intently  for  a  moment ; 
and  gulped  the  words  he  was  about  to  utter,  like  one  con 
founded.  As  he  gazed,  however,  at  little  dumpy,  exa 
mining  his  bow- legs,  red  broad  cheeks,  and  coarse  snub  nose, 
he  seemed  to  regain  his  self-command,  as  if  satisfied  the 
dead  had  not  really  returned  to  life. 

"Are  you  acquainted  with  the  gentleman  you  have 
named  T'  he  asked,  by  way  of  answer.  "  You  speak  of  him 
like  one  who  ought  to  know  him." 

"  A  body  is  apt  to  know  a  shipmate.  Stephen  Spike  and 
I  sailed  together  twenty  years  since,  and  I  hope  to  live  to 
sail  with  him  again.*' 

"  You  sail  with  Stephen  Spike  ?  when  and  where,  may 
I  ask,  and  in  what  v'y'ge,  pray?" 

"  The  last  time  was  twenty  years  since.  Have  you  for 
gotten  little  Jack  Tier,  Capt.  Spike  ?" 

Spike  looked  astonished,  and  well  he  might,  for  he  had 
supposed  Jack  to  be  dead  fully  fifteen  years.  Time  and 
hard  service  had  greatly  altered  him,  but  the  general  resem 
blance  in  figure,  stature,  and  waddle,  certainly  remained. 
Notwithstanding,  the  Jack  Tier  that  Spike  remembered  was 
quite  a  different  person  from  this  Jack  Tier.  That  Jack 
had  worn  his  intensely  black  hair  clubbed  and  curled,  where 
as  this  Jack  had  cut  his  locks  into  short  bristles,  which  time 
had  turned  into  an  intense  gray.  That  Jack  was  short  and 
thick,  but  he  was  flat  and  square ;  whereas  this  Jack  was 
just  as  short,  a  good  deal  thicker,  and  as  round  as  a  dump 
ling.  In  one  thing,  however,  the  likeness  still  remained  per 
fect.  Both  Jacks  chewed  tobacco,  to  a  degree  that  became 
a  distinct  feature  in  their  appearance. 

Spike  had  many  reasons  for  wishing  Jack  Tier  were  not 
resuscitated  in  this  extraordinary  manner,  and  some  for  be 
ing  glad  to  see  him.  The  fellow  had  once  been  largely  in 
his  confidence,  and  knew  more  than  was  quite  safe  for  any 
one  to  remember  but  himself,  while  he  might  be  of  great  use 
to  him  in  his  future  operations.  It  is  always  convenient  to 
have  one  at  your  elbow  who  thoroughly  understands  you, 
and  Spike  would  have  lowered  a  boat  and  sent  it  to  the 
wharf  to  bring  Jack  off,  were  it  not  for  the  gentleman  who 
was  so  inquisitive  about  pilots.  Under  the  circumstances, 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  25 

he  determined  to  forego  the  advantages  of  Jack's  presence, 
reserving  the  right  to  hunt  him  up  on  his  return. 

The  reader  will  readily  enough  comprehend,  that  the 
Molly  Swash  was  not  absolutely  standing  still  while  the  di 
alogue  related  was  going  on,  and  the  thoughts  we  have  re 
corded  were  passing  through  her  master's  mind.  On  tho 
contrary,  she  was  not  only  in  motion,  but  that  motion  was 
gradually  increasing,  and  by  the  time  all  was  said  that  has 
been  related,  it  had  become  necessary  for  those  who  spoke 
to  raise  their  voices  to  an  inconvenient  pitch  in  order  to  be 
heard.  This  circumstance  alone  would  soon  have  put  an 
end  to  the  conversation,  had  not  Spike's  pausing  to  reflect 
brought  about  the  same  result,  as  mentioned. 

In  the  mean  time,  Mulford  had  got  the  canvas  spread. 
Forward,  the  Swash  showed  all  the  cloth  of  a  full-rigged 
brig,  even  to  royals  and  flying  jib ;  while  aft,  her  mast 
was  the  raking,  tall,  naked  pole  of  an  American  schooner. 
There  was  a  taunt  topmast,  too,  to  which  a  gaff-topsail  was 
set,  and  the  gear  proved  that  she  could  also  show,  at  need, 
a  staysail  in  this  part  of  her,  if  necessary.  As  the  Gate  was 
before  them,  however,  the  people  had  set  none  but  the  plain, 
manageable  canvas. 

The  Molly  Swash  kept  close  on  a  wind,  luffing  athwart 
the  broad  reach  she  was  in,  until  far  enough  to  weather 
BlackwelPs,  when  she  edged  off  to  her  course,  and  went 
through  tfye  southern  passage.  Although  the  wind  remained 
light,  and  a  little  baffling,  the  brig  was  so  easily  impelled, 
and  was  so  very  handy,  that  there  was  no  difficulty  in  keep 
ing  her  perfectly  in  command.  The  tide,  too,  was  fast  in 
creasing  in  strength  and  velocity,  and  the  movement  from 
this  cause  alone  was  getting  to  be  sufficiently  rapid. 

As  for  the  passengers,  of  whom  we  have  lost  sight  in  or 
der  to  get  the  brig  under  way,  they  were  now  on  deck  again. 
At  first,  they  had  all  gone  below,  under  the  care  of  Josh,  a 
somewhat  rough  groom  of  the  chambers,  to  take  possession 
of  their  apartment,  a  sufficiently  neat,  and  exceedingly  com 
fortable  cabin,  supplied  with  everything  that  could  be  wanted 
at  sea,  and,  what  was  more,  lined  on  two  of  its  sides  with 
state-rooms.  It  is  true,  all  these  apartments  were  small, 
and  the  state-rooms  were  very  low,  but  no  fault  could  be 
VOL.  I.  —  3 


zo  JACK   TIER; 

found  with  their  neatness  and  general  arrangements,  when 
it  was  recollected  that  one  was  on  board  a  vessel. 

"  Hereebbery  t'ing  heart  can  wish,"  said  Josh,  exultingly, 
who,  being  an  old-school  black,  did  not  disdain  to  use  some 
of  the  old-school  dialect  of  his  caste.  "  Yes,  ladies,  ebbery 
t'ing.  Let  Cap'n  Spike  alone  for  dat !  He  won'erful  at 
accommodation  !  Not  a  bed-bug  aft — know  better  dan  come 
here ;  jest  like  de  people,  in  dat  respects,  and  keep  deir 
place  forrard.  You  nebber  see  a  pig  come  on  de  quarter 
deck,  nudder." 

"You  must  maintain  excellent  discipline,  Josh,"  cried 
Rose,  in  one  of  the  sweetest  voices  in  the  world,  which  was 
easily  attuned  to  merriment — "  and  we  are  delighted  to 
learn  what  you  tell  us.  How  do  you  manage  to  keep  up 
these  distinctions,  and  make  such  creatures  know  their 
places  so  well  ?" 

"  Nuttin  easier,  if  you  begin  right,  miss.  As  for  de  pig, 
I  teach  dem  wid  scaldin'  water.  Wheneber  I  sees  a  pig 
come  aft,  I  gets  a  little  water  from  de  copper,  and  just  scald 
him  wid  it.  You  can't  t'ink,  miss,  how  dat  mend  his  man 
ners,  and  make  him  squeel  fuss,  and  t'ink  arter.  In  dat 
fashion  I  soon  get  de  ole  ones  in  good  trainin',  and  den  I 
has  no  more  trouble  with  dem  as  comes  fresh  aboard  ;  for 
de  ole  hog  tell  de  young  one,  and  'em  won'erful  cunnin',  and 
know  how  to  take  care  of  'emself." 

Rose  Budd's  sweet  eyes  were  full  of  fun  and  expectation, 
and  she  could  no  more  repress  her  laugh  than  youth  and 
spirits  can  always  be  discreet. 

"  Yes,  with  the  pigs,"  she  cried,  "  that  might  do  very  well ; 
but  how  is  it  with  those — other  creatures?" 

"  Rosy,  dear,"  interrupted  the  aunt,  "  I  wish  you  would 
say  no  more  about  such  shocking  things.  It 's  enough  for 
us  that  Capt.  Spike  has  ordered  them  all  to  stay  forward 
among  the  men,  which  is  always  done  on  board  well  dis 
ciplined  vessels.  I  ?ve  heard  your  uncle  say,  a  hundred 
times,  that  the  quarter-deck  was  sacred,  and  that  might  be 
enough  to  keep  such  animals  off  it." 

It  was  barely  necessary  to  look  at  Mrs.  Budd  in  the  face 
to  get  a  very  accurate  general  notion  of  her  character.  She 
was  one  of  those  inane,  uncultivated  beings  who  seem  to 
be  protected  by  a  benevolent  Providence  in  their  pilgrimage 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  27 

on  earth,  for  they  do  not  seem  to  possess  the  power  to  pro 
tect  themselves.  Her  very  countenance  expressed  imbe 
cility  and  mental  dependence,  credulity  and  a  love  of  gossip. 
Notwithstanding  these  radical  weaknesses,  the  good  woman 
had  some  of  the  better  instincts  of  her  sex,  and  was  never 
guilty  of  anything  that  could  properly  convey  reproach. 

She  was  no  monitress  for  Rose,  however,  the  niece  much 
oftener  influencing  the  aunt,  than  the  aunt  influencing  the 
niece.  The  latter  had  been  fortunate  in  having  had  an 
excellent  instructress,  who,  though  incapable  of  teaching  her 
much  in  the  way  of  accomplishments,  had  imparted  a  great 
deal  that  was  respectable  and  useful.  Rose  had  character, 
and  strong  character,  too,  as  the  course  of  our  narrative  will 
show  ;  but  her  worthy  aunt  was  a  pure  picture  of  as  much 
mental  imbecility  as  at  all  comported  with  the  privileges  of 
self-government. 

The  conversation  about  "  those  other  creatures"  was 
effectually  checked  by  Mrs.  Budd's  horror  of  the  "animals," 
and  Josh  was  called  on  deck  so  shortly  after  as  to  prevent 
its  being  renewed.  The  females  staid  below  a  few  minutes, 
to  take  possession,  and  then  they  re-appeared  on  deck,  to 
e  at  the  horrors  of  the  Hell  Gate  passage.  Rose  was 
/  all  eyes,  wonder  and  admiration  of  everything  she  saw. 
This  was  actually  the  first  time  she  had  ever  been  on  the 
water,  in  any  sort  of  craft,  though  born  and  brought  up  in 
sight  of  one  of  the  most  thronged  havens  in  the  world.  But 
there  must  be  a  beginning  to  everything,  and  this  was  Rose 
Budd's  beginning  on  the  water.  It  is  true  the  brigantine 
was  a  very  beautiful,  as  well  as  an  exceedingly  swift  vessel  ; 
but  all  this  was  lost  on  Rose,  who  would  have  admired  a 
horse-jockey  bound  to  the  West  Indies,  in  this  the  incipient 
state  of  her  nautical'  knowledge.  Perhaps  the  exquisite 
neatness  that  Mulford  maintained  about  everything  that  came 
under  his  care,  and  that  included  everything  on  deck,  or 
above-board,  and  about  which  neatness  Spike  occasionally 
muttered  an  oath,  as  so  much  senseless  trouble,  contributed 
somewhat  to  Rose's  pleasure;  but  her  admiration  would 
scarcely  have  been  less  with  anything  that  had  sails,  and 
seemed  to  move  through  the  water  with  a  power  approaching 
that  of  volition. 

It  was  very  different  with  Mrs.  Budd.     She,  good  woman, 


28  JACK    TIER; 

had  actually  made  one  voyage  with  her  late  husband,  and 
she  fancied  that  she  knew  all  about  a  vessel.  It  was  her 
delight  to  talk  on  nautical  subjects,  and  never  did  she  really 
feel  her  great  superiority  over  her  niece,  so  very  unequivo 
cally,  as  when  the  subject  of  the  ocean  was  introduced,  about 
which  she  did  know  something,  and  touching  which  Rose 
was  profoundly  ignorant,  or  as  ignorant  as  a  girl  of  lively 
imagination  could  remain  with  the  information  gleaned  from 
others. 

"  I  am  not  surprised  you  are  astonished  at  the  sight  of 
the  vessel, Rosy,"  observed  the  self-complacent  aunt  at  one 
of  her  niece's  exclamations  of  admiration.  "  A  vessel  is  a 
•very  wonderful  thing,  and  we  are  told  what  extr'orny  beings 
they  are  that  '  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships.'  But  you  are 
to  know  this  is  not  a  ship  at  all,  but  only  a  half-jigger  rig 
ged,  which  is  altogether  a  different  thing." 

"Was  my  uncle's  vessel,  The  Rose  In  Bloom,  then,  very 
different  from  the  Swash  ?" 

"  Very  different  indeed,  child  !  Why,  The  Rose  In  Bloom 
was  a  full-jiggered  ship,  and  had  twelve  masts — and  this  is 
only  a  half-jiggered  brig,  and  has  but  two  masts.  See,  you 
may  count  them — one — two  !" 

Harry  Mulford  was  coiling  away  a  top-gallant-brace, 
directly  in  front  of  Mrs.  Budd  and  Rose,  and,  at  hearing  this 
account  of  the  wonderful  equipment  of  The  Rose  In  Bloom, 
he  suddenly  looked  up,  with  a  lurking  expression  about  his 
eye  that  the  niece  very  well  comprehended,  while  he  exclaim 
ed,  without  much  reflection,  under  the  impulse  of  surprise — 

"  Twelve  masts  !  Did  I  understand  you  to  say,  ma'am, 
that  Capt.  Budd's  ship  had  twelve  masts"?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  twelve  !  and  I  can  tell  you  all  their  names,  for 
I  learnt  them  by  heart — it  appearing  to  me  proper  that  a 
ship-master's  wife  should  know  the  names  of  all  the  masts 
in  her  husband's  vessel.  Do  you  wish  to  hear  their  names, 
Mr.  Mulford?" 

Harry  Mulford  would  have  enjoyed  this  conversation  to 
the  top  of  his  bent,  had  it  not  been  for  Rose.  She  well  knew 
her  aunt's  general  weakness  of  intellect,  and  especially  its 
weakness  on  this  particular  subject,  but  she  would  suffer  no 
one  to  manifest  contempt  for  either,  if  in  her  power  to  pre 
vent  it.  It  is  seldom  one  so  young,  so  mirthful,  so  inge- 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  29 

nuous  and  innocent  in  the  expression  of  her  countenance, 
assumed  so  significant  and  rebuking  a  frown  as  did  pretty 
Rose  Budd  when  she  heard  the  mate's  involuntary  excla 
mation  about  the  "twelve  masts."  Harry,  who  was  not  easily 
checked  by  his  equals,  or  any  of  his  own  sex,  submitted  to 
that  rebuking  frown  with  the  meekness  of  a  child,  and  stam 
mered  out,  in  answer  to  the  well-meaning,  but  weak-minded 
widow's  question — 

"  If  you  please,  Mrs.  Budd — just  as  you  please,  ma'am — 
only  twelve  is  a  good  many  masts — "  Rose  frowned  again 
— "  that  is — more  than  I  'm  used  to  seeing — that 's  all." 

"  I  dare  say,  Mr.  Mulford — for  you  sail  in  only  a  half- 
jigger;  but  Capt.  Budd  always  sailed  in  a  full-jigger — and 
his  full-jiggered  ship  had  just  twelve  masts,  and,  to  prove 
it  to  you,  I  '11  give  you  the  names — first  then,  there  were 
the  fore,  main,  and  mizen  masts — " 

"  Yes — yes — ma'am,"  stammered  Harry,  who  wished  the 
twelve  masts  and  The  Rose  In  Bloom  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean,  since  her  owner's  niece  still  continued  to  look  coldly 
displeased — "  that's  right,  I  can  swear!" 

"  Very  true,  sir,  and  you  '11  find  I  am  right  as  to  all  the 
rest.  Then,  there  were  the  fore,  main,  and  mizen  top-masts 
— they  make  six,  if  I  can  count,  Mr.  Mulford  '.'" 

"  Ah  !"  exclaimed  the  mate,  laughing,  in  spite  of  Rose's 
frowns,  as  the  manner  in  which  the  old  sea-dog  had  quizzed 
his  wife  became  apparent  to  him.  "  I  see  how  it  is — you 
are  quite  right,  ma'am — I  dare  say  The  Rose  In  Bloom  had 
all  these  masts,  and  some  to  spare." 

"  Yes,  sir — I  knew  you  would  be  satisfied.  The  fore, 
main  and  mizen  top-gallant-masts  make  nine — and  the  fore, 
main  and  mizen  royals  make  just  twelve.  Oh,  I  'm  never 
wrong  in  anything  about  a  vessel,  especially  if  she  is  a  full- 
jiggered  ship." 

Mulford  had  some  difficulty  in  restraining  his  smiles  each 
time  the  full-jigger  was  mentioned,  but  Rose's  expression  of 
countenance  kept  him  in  excellent  order — and  she,  innocent 
creature,  saw  nothing  ridiculous  in  the  term,  though  the 
twelve  masts  had  given  her  a  little  alarm.  Delighted  that 
the  old  lady  had  got  through  her  enumeration  of  the  spars 
with  so  much  success,  Rose  cried,  in  the  exuberance  of  her 
spirits — 
3* 


30  JACKTIER; 

"  Well,  aunty,  for  my  part,  I  find  a  half-jigger  vessel,  so 
very,  very  beautiful,  that  I  do  not  know  how  I  should  be 
have  were  I  to  go  on  board  a^^ZZ-jigger." 

Mulford  turned  abruptly  away,  the  circumstance  of  Rose's 
making  herself  ridiculous  giving  him  sudden  pain,  though 
he  could  have  laughed  at  her  aunt  by  the  hour. 

"  Ah,  my  dear,  that  is  on  account  of  your  youth  and  inex 
perience — but  you  will  learn  better  in  time.  I  was  just  so, 
myself,  when  I  was  of  your  age,  and  thought  the  fore-rafters 
were  as  handsome  as  the  squared-jiggers,  but  soon  after  I 
married  Capt.  Budd  I  felt  the  necessity  of  knowing  more 
than  I  did  about  ships,  and  I  got  him  to  teach  me.  He 
did  n't  like  the  business,  at  first,  and  pretended  I  would 
never  learn ;  but,  at  last,  it  carne  all  at  once  like,  and  then 
he  used  to  be  delighted  to  hear  me  '  talk  ship,'  as  he  called 
it.  I  've  known  him  laugh,  with  his  cronies,  as  if  ready  to 
die,  at  my  expertness  in  sea-terms,  for  half  an  hour  together 
—and  then  he  would  swear — that  was  the  worst  fault  your 
uncle  had,  Rosy — he  would  swear,  sometimes,  in  a  way 
that  frightened  me,  I  do  declare  !" 

"  But  he  never  swore  at  you,  aunty  ?" 

"  I  can't  say  that  he  did  exactly  do  that,  but  he  would 
swear  all  round  me,  even  if  he  did  n't  actually  touch  me, 
when  things  went  wrong — but  it  would  have  done  your  heart 
good  to  hear  him  laugh  !  he  had  a  most  excellent  heart,  just 
like  your  own,  Rosy  dear ;  but,  for  that  matter,  all  the 
Budds  have  excellent  hearts,  and  one  of  the  commonest 
ways  your  uncle  had  of  showing  it  was  to  laugh,  particu 
larly  when  we  were  together  and  talking.  Oh,  he  used  to 
delight  in  hearing  me  converse,  especially  about  vessels,  and 
never  failed  to  get  me  at  it  when  he  had  company.  I  see 
his  good-natured,  excellent-hearted  countenance  at  this  mo 
ment,  with  the  tears  running  down  his  fat,  manly  cheeks, 
as  he  shook  his  very  sides  with  laughter.  I  may  Jive  a 
hundred  years,  Rosy,  before  I  meet  again  with  your  uncle's 
equal." 

This  was  a  subject  that  invariably  silenced  Rose.  She 
remembered  her  uncle,  herself,  and  remembered  his  affec 
tionate  manner  of  laughing  at  her  aunt,  and  she  always 
wished  the  latter  to  get  through  her  eulogiums  on  her  mar 
ried  happiness,  as  soon  as  possible,  whenever  the  subject 

was  introduced. 

I 

I 


OR,     THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  31 

All  this  time  the  Molly  Swash  kept  in  motion.  Spike 
never  took  a  pilot  when  he  could  avoid  it,  and  his  mind  was 
too  much  occupied  with  his  duty,  in  that  critical  navigation, 
to  share  at  all  in  the  conversation  of  his  passengers,  though 
he  did  endeavour  to  make  himself  agreeable  to  Rose,  by  an 
occasional  remark,  when  a  favourable  opportunity  offered. 

As  soon  as  he  had  worked  his  brig  over  into  the  south  or 
weather  passage  of  Blackwell's,  however,  there  remained 
little  for  him  to  do,  until  she  had  drifted  through  it,  a  dis 
tance  of  a  mile  or  more ;  and  this  gave  him  leisure  to  do  the 
honours.  He  pointed  out  the  castellated  edifice  on  Black- 
well's  as  the  new  penitentiary,  and  the  hamlet  of  villas,  on 
the  other  shore,  as  Ravenswood,  though  there  is  neither  wood 
nor  ravens  to  authorize  the  name.  But  the  "  Sunswick," 
which  satisfied  the  Delafields  and  Gibbses  of  the  olden  time, 
and  which  distinguished  their  lofty  halls  and  broad  lawns, 
was  not  elegant  enough  for  the  cockney  tastes  of  these  latter 
days,  so  "  wood  "  must  be  made  to  usurp  the  place  of  cher 
ries  and  apples,  and  "  ravens "  that  of  gulls,  in  order  to 
satisfy  its  cravings.  But  all  this  was  lost  on  Spike.  He 
remembered  the  shore  as  it  had  been  twenty  years  before, 
and  he  saw  what  it  was  now,  but  little  did  he  care  for  the 
change.  On  the  whole,  he  rather  preferred  the  Grecian 
Temples,  over  which  the  ravens  would  have  been  compelled 
to  fly,  had  there  been  any  ravens  in  that  neighbourhood,  to 
the  old-fashioned  and  highly  respectable  residence  that  once 
alone  occupied  the  spot.  The  point  he  did  understand,  how 
ever,  and  on  the  merits  of  which  he  had  something  to  say, 
was  a  little  farther  ahead.  That,  too,  had  been  re-christen 
ed — the  Hal  let's  Cove  of  the  mariner  being  converted  into 
Astoria — not  that  bloody-minded  place  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Oregon,  which  has  come  so  near  bringing  us  to  blows  with 
our  "  ancestors  in  England,"  as  the  worthy  denizens  of  that 
quarter  choose  to  consider  themselves  still,  if  one  can  judge 
by  their  language.  This  Astoria  was  a  very  different  place, 
and  is  one  of  the  many  suburban  villages  that  are  shooting 
up,  like  mushrooms  in  a  night,  around  the  great  Commer 
cial  Emporium.  This  spot  Spike  understood  perfectly,  and 
it  was  not  likely  that  he  should  pass  it  without  communi 
cating  a  portion  of  his  knowledge  to  Rose. 

"  There,  Miss  Rose,"  he  said,  with  a  didactic  sort  of  air, 


32  JACK   TIER; 

pointing  with  his  short,  thick  finger  at  the  little  bay  which 
was  just  opening  to  their  view  ;  "  there  's  as  neat  a  cove  as 
a  craft  need  bring  up  in.  That  used  to  be  a  capital  place 
to  -lie  in,  to  wait  for  a  wind  to  pass  the  Gale ;  but  it  has  got 
to  be  most  too  public  for  my  taste.  I  'm  rural,  I  tell  Mulford, 
and  love  to  get  in  out-of-the-way  berths  with  my  brig,  where 
she  can  see  salt-meadows,  and  smell  the  clover.  You  never 
catch  me  down  in  any  of  the  crowded  slips,  around  the  mar 
kets,  or  anywhere  in  that  part  of  the  town,  for  I  do  love 
country  air.  That's  Ballet's  Cove,  Miss  Rose,  and  a  pretty 
anchorage  it  would  be  for  us,  if  the  wind  and  tide  didn't 
sarve  to  take  us  through  the  Gate." 

"  Are  we  near  the  Gate,  Capt.  Spike  ?"  asked  Rose,  the 
fine  bloom  on  her  cheek  lessening  a  little,  under  the  appre 
hension  that  formidable  name  is  apt  to  awaken  in  the  breasts 
of  the  inexperienced. 

"  Haifa  mile,  or  so.  It  begins  just  at  the  other  end  of 
this  island  on  our  larboard  hand,  and  will  be  all  over  in 
about  another  half  mile,  or  so.  It 's  no  such  bad  place,  a'ter 
all,  is  Hell-Gate,  to  them  that's  used  to  it.  I  call  myself  a 
pilot  in  Hell-Gate,  though  I  have  no  branch." 

"  I  wish,  Capt.  Spike,  I  could  teach  you  to  give  that  place 
its  proper  and  polite  name.  We  call  it  Whirl-Gate  alto 
gether  now,"  said  the  relict. 

"  Well,  that's  new  to  me,"  cried  Spike.  "I  have  heard 
some  chicken-mouthed  folk  say  Hurl-Gate,  but  this  is  the 
first  time  I  ever  heard  it  called  Whirl-Gate — they'll  get  it 
to  Whirligig-Gate  next.  I  do  n't  think  that  my  old  com 
mander,  Capt.  Budd,  called  the  passage  anything  but  honest 
up  and  down  Hell-Gate." 

"  That  he  did — that  he  did — and  all  my  arguments  and 
reading  could  not  teach  him  any  better.  I  proved  to  him 
that  it  was  Whirl-Gate,  as  any  one  can  see  that  it  ought  to 
be.  It  is  full  of  whirlpools,  they  say,  and  that  shows  what 
Nature  meant  the  name  to  be." 

"But,  aunty,"  put  in  Rose,  half  reluctantly,  half  anxious? 
to  speak,  "  what  has  gate  to  do  with  whirlpools?  You  will 
remember  it  is  called  a  gate — the  gate  to  that  wicked  place 
I  suppose  is  meant." 

"  Rose,  you  amaze  me  !  How  can  you,  a  young  woman 
of  only  nineteen,  stand  up  for  so  vulgar  a  name  as  Hell-Gate!* 


OB,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  33 

"  Do  you  think  it  as  vulgar  as  Hurl-Gate,  aunty  ?"  To 
me  it  always  seems  the  most  vulgar  to  be  straining  at  gnats." 

"  Yes,"  said  Spike  sentimentally,  "  I  'm  quite  of  Miss 
Rose's  way  of  thinking — straining  at  gnats  is  very  ill-man 
ners,  especially  at  table.  I  once  knew  a  man  who  strained 
in  this  way,  until  I  thought  he  would  have  choked,  though  it 
was  with  a  fly  to  be  sure ;  but  gnats  are  nothing  but  small 
flies,  you  know,  Miss  Rose.  Yes,  I  'm  quite  of  your  way 
of  thinking,  Miss  Rose;  it  is  very  vulgar  to  be  straining  at 
gnats  and  flies,  more  particularly  at  table.  But  you  'II  find 
no  flies  or  gnats  aboard  here,  to  be  straining  at,  or  brushing 
away,  or  to  annoy  you.  Stand  by  there,  my  hearties,  and  see 
all  clear  to  run  through  Hell-Gate.  Do  n't  let  me  catch  you 
straining  at  anything,  though  it  should  be  the  fin  of  a  whale !" 

The  people  forward  looked  at  each  other,  as  they  listened 
to  this  novel  admonition,  though  they  called  out  the  custom 
ary  "  ay,  ay,  sir,"  as  they  went  to  the  sheets,  braces  and 
bowlines.  To  them  the  passage  of  no  Hell-Gate  conveyed 
the  idea  of  any  particular  terror,  and  with  the  one  they  were 
about  to  enter,  they  were  much  too  familiar  to  care  anything 
about  it. 

The  brig  was  now  floating  fast,  with  the  tide,  up  abreast 
of  the  east  end  of  Blackwell's,  and  in  two  or  three  more 
minutes  she  would  be  fairly  in  th^  Gate.  Spike  was  aft, 
where  he  could  command  a  view  oj/everything  forward,  and 
Mulford  stood  on  the  quarter-deck,  to  look  after  the  head- 
braces.  An  old  and  trustworthy  seaman,  who  acted  as  a 
sort  of  boatswain,  had  the  charge  on  the  forecastle,  and  was 
to  tend  the  sheets  and  tack.  His  name  was  Rove. 

"  See  all  clear,"  called  out  Spike.  "  D  'ye  hear  there, 
forard  !  I  shall  make  a  half-board  in  the  Gate,  if  the  wind 
favour  us,  and  the  tide  prove  strong  enough  to  hawse  us  to 
wind'ard  sufficiently  to  clear  the  Pot — so  "mind  your—" 

The  captain  breaking  off  in  the  middle  of  this  harangue, 
Mulford  turned  his  head,  in  order  to  see  what  might  be  the 
matter.  There  was  Spike,  levelling  a  spy-glass  at  a  boat 
that  was  pulling  swiftly  out  of  the  north  channel,  and  shoot 
ing  like  an  arrow  directly  athwart  the  brig's  bows  into  the 
main  passage  of  the  Gate.  He  stepped  to  the  captain's  elbow. 

"  Just  take  a  look  at  them  chaps,  Mr.  Mulford,"  said  Spike, 
handing  his  mate  the  glass. 


34  JACK   TIER; 

"  They  seem  in  a  hurry,"  answered  Harry,  as  he  adjust, 
ed  the  glass  to  his  eye,  "  and  will  go  through  the  Gate  in 
less  time  than  it  will  take  to  mention  the  circumstance." 

"  What  do  you  make  of  them,  sir?" 

"The  little  man  who  called  himself  Jack  Tier  is  in  the 
stern-sheets  of  the  boat,  for  one,"  answered  Mulford. 

"  And  the  other,  Harry — what  do  you  make  of  the  other  ?" 

"  It  seems  to  be  the  chap  who  hailed  to  know  if  we  had  a 
pilot.  He  means  to  board  us  at  Riker's  Island,  and  make 
us  pay  pilotage,  whether  we  want  his  services  or  not." 

"  Blast  him  and  his  pilotage  too  !  Give  me  the  glass  " — 
taking  another  long  look  at  the  boat,  which  by  this  time  was 
glancing,  rather  than  pulling,  nearly  at  right  angles  across 
his  bows.  "  I  want  no  such  pilot  aboard  here,  Mr.  Mulford. 
Take  another  look  at  him — here,  you  can  see  him,  away  on 
our  weather  bow,  already." 

Mulford  did  take  another  look  at  him,  and  this  time  his 
examination  was  longer  and  more  scrutinizing  than  before. 

"  It  is  not  easy^to  cover  him  with  the  glass,"  observed 
the  young  man — "  the  boat  seems  fairly  to  fly." 

"We're  forereaching  too  near  the  Hog's  Back,  Capt. 
Spike,"  roared  the  boatswain,  from  forward. 

"  Ready  about — hard  a  lee,"  shouted  Spike.  "  Let  all  fly, 
for'ard — help  her  round,  boys,  all  you  can,  and  wait  for  no 
orders  !  Bestir  yourselves — bestir  yourselves." 

It  was  time  the  crew  should  be  in  earnest.  While  Spike's 
attention  had  been  thus  diverted  by  the  boat,  the  brig  had 
got  into  the  strongest  of  the  current,  which,  by  setting  her 
last  to  windward,  had  trebled  the  power  of  the  air,  and  this 
was  shooting  her  over  toward  one  of  the  greatest  dangers  of 
the  passage  on  a  flood  tide.  As  everybody  bestirred  them 
selves,  however,  she  was  got  round  and  filled  on  the  oppo 
site  tack,  just  in  time  to  clear  the  rocks.  Spike  breathed 
again,  but  his  head  was  still  full  of  the  boat.  The  danger 
he  had  just  escaped  as  Scylla  met  him  as  Charybdis.  The 
boatswain  again  roared  to  go  about.  The  order  was  given 
as  the  vessel  began  to  pitch  in  a  heavy  swell.  At  the  next 
instant  she  rolled  until  the  water  came  on  deck,  whirled  with 
her  stern  down  the  tide,  and  her  bows  rose  as  if  she  were 
about  to  leap  out  of  water.  The  Swash  had  hit  the  Pot  Rock  ! 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  35 


CHAPTER  II. 

Watch.  If  we  know  him  to  be  a  thief,  shall  we  not  lay  hands  on 
him? 

Dogb.  Truly,  by  your  office,  you  may  ;  but  I  think  they  that  touch 
pitch  will  be  denied  ;  the  most  peaceable  way  for  you,  if  you  do  take 
a  thief,  is,  to  let  him  show  himself  what  he  is,  and  steal  out  of  your 
company. 

Much  Ado  About  Nothing. 

WE  left  the  brigantine  of  Capt.  Spike  in  a  very  critical 
situation,  and  the  master  himself  in  great  confusion  of  mind. 

A  thorough  seaman,  this  accident  would  never  have  hap 
pened,  but  for  the  sudden  appearance  of  the  boat  and  its  pas- 
sengers ;  one  of  whom  appeared  to  be  a  source  of  great 
uneasiness  to  him.  As  might  be  expected,  the  circumstance 
of  striking  a  place  as  dangerous  as  the  Pot  Rock  in  Hell- 
Gate,  produced  a  great  sensation  on  board  the  vessel.  This 
sensation  betrayed  itself  in  various  ways,  and  according  to 
the  characters,  habits,  and  native  firmness  of  the  parties.  As 
for  the  ship-master's  relict,  she  seized  hold  of  the  main-mast, 
and  screamed  so  loud  and  perseveringly,  as  to  cause  the 
sensation  to  extend  itself  into  the  adjacent  and  thriving  vil 
lage  of  Astoria,  where  it  was  distinctly  heard  by  divers  of 
those  who  dwelt  near  the  water.  Biddy  Noon  had  her  share 
in  this  clamour,  lying  down  on  the  deck  in  order  to  prevent 
rolling  over,  and  possibly  to  scream  more  at  her  leisure,  while 
Rose  had  sufficient  self-command  to  be  silent,  though  her 
cheeks  lost  their  colour. 

Nor  was  there  anything  extraordinary  in  females  betray 
ing  this  alarm,  when  one  remembers  the  somewhat  astound 
ing  signs  of  danger  by  which  these  persons  were  surrounded. 
There  is  always  something  imposing  in  the  swift  movement 
of  a  considerable  body  of  water.  When  this  movement  is 
aided  by  whirlpools  and  the  other  similar  accessories  of  an 
interrupted  current,  it  frequently  becomes  startling,  more 
especially  to  those  who  happen  to  be  on  the  element  itself. 
This  is  peculiarly  the  case  with  the  Pot  Rock,  where,  not 
only  does  the  water  roll  and  roar  as  if  agitated  by  a  mighty 


36  JACK     TIER* 

wind,  but  where  it  even  breaks,  the  foam  seeming  to  glance 
up  stream,  in  the  rapid  succession  of  wave  to  wave.  Had 
the  Swash  remained  in  her  terrific  berth  more  than  a  sec 
ond  or  two,  she  would  have  proved  what  is  termed  a  "  total 
loss  ;"  but  she  did  not.  Happily,  the  Pot  Rock  lies  so  low 
that  it  is  not  apt  to  fetch  up  anything  of  a  light  draught  of 
water,  and  the  brigantine's  fore-foot  had  just  settled  on  its 
summit,  long  enough  to  cause  the  vessel  to  whirl  round  and 
make  her  obeisance  to  the  place,  when  a  succeeding  swell 
lifted  her  clear,  and  away  she  went  down  stream,  rolling  as 
if  scudding  in  a  gale,  and,  for  a  moment,  under  no  command 
whatever.  There  lay  another  danger  ahead,  or  it  would  be 
better  to  say  astern,  for  the  brig  was  drifting  stern  foremost  ; 
and  that  was  in  an  eddy  under  a  blufT,  which  bluff  lies  at  an 
angle  in  the  reach,  where  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  craft 
to  be  cast  ashore,  after  they  have  passed  all  the  more  impos 
ing  and  more  visible  dangers  above.  It  was  in  escaping 
this  danger,  and  in  recovering  the  command  of  his  vessel, 
that  Spike  now  manifested  the  sort  of  stuff  of  which  he  was 
really  made,  in  emergencies  of  this  sort.  The  yards  were 
all  sharp  up  when  the  accident  occurred,  and  springing  to 
the  lee  braces,  just  as  a  man  winks  when  his  eye  is  menaced, . 
he  seized  the  weather  fore-brace  with  his  own  hands,  and 
began  to  round  in  the  yard,  shouting  out  to  the  man  at  the 
wheel  to  "  port  his  helm"  at  the  same  time.  Some  of  the 
people  flew  to  his  assistance,  and  the  yards  were  not  only 
squared,  but  braced  a  little  up  on  the  other  tack,  in  much 
less  time  than  we  have  taken  to  relate  the  evolution.  Mul- 
ford  attended  to  the  main-sheet,  and  succeeded  in  getting 
the  boom  out  in  the  right  direction.  Although  the  wind  was 
in  truth  very  light,  the  velocity  of  the  drift  filled  the  canvas, 
and  taking  the  arrow-like  current  on  her  lee  bow,  the  Swash, 
like  a  frantic  steed  that  is  alarmed  with  the  wreck  made  by 
his  own  madness,  came  under  command,  and  sheered  out 
into  the  stream  again,  where  she  could  drift  clear  of  the 
apprehended  danger  astern. 

"  Sound  the  pumps  !"  called  out  Spike  to  Mulford,  the 
instant  he  saw  he  had  regained  his  seat  in  the  saddle.  Harry 
sprang  amidships  to  obey,  and  the  eye  of  every  mariner  in 
that  vessel  was  on  the  young  man,  as,  in  the  rnid.st  of  a 
death-like  silence,  he  performed  this  all-important  duty.  It 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  37 

was  like  the  physician's  feeling  the  pulse  of  his  patient  be 
fore  he  pronounces  on  the  degree  of  his  danger. 

"  Well,  sir?"  cried  out  Spike,  impatiently,  as 'the  rod  re 
appeared. 

"  All  right,  sir,"  answered  Harry,  cheerfully — "  the  well 
is  nearly  empty." 

"  Hold  on  a  moment  longer,  and  give  the  water  time  to 
find  its  way  amidships,  if  there  be  any." 

The  mate  remained  perched  up  on  the  purnp,  in  order  to 
comply,  while  Spike  and  his  people,  who  now  breathed  more 
freely  again,  improved  the  leisure  to  brace  up  and  haul  aft, 
to  the  new  course. 

"  Biddy,1'  said  Mrs.  Budd  considerately,  during  this  pause 
in  the  incidents,  "  you  need  n't  scream  any  longer.  The 
danger  seems  to  be  past,  and  you  may  get  up  off  the  deck 
now.  See,  I  have  let  go  of  the  mast.  The  pumps  have 
been  sounded,  and  are  found  tight." 

Biddy,  like  an  obedient  arid  respectful  servant,  did  as  di 
rected,  quite  satisfied  if  the  pumps  were  tight.     It  was  some 
little  time,  to  be  sure,  before  she  was  perfectly  certain  whe 
ther  she  were  alive  or  not — but,  once  certain  of  this  cir 
cumstance,  her  alarm  very  sensibly  abated,  and  she    be 
came  reasonable.     As  for  Mulford,  he  dropped  the  sound 
ing  rod  again,  and  had  the  same  cheering  report  to  make. 
"  The  brig  is  as  tight  as  a  bottle,  sir." 
"  So  much  the  better,"  answered  Spike.     "  I  never  had 
such  a  whirl  in  her  before  in  my  life,  and  I  thought  she  was 
going  to  stop  and  pass  the  night  there.     That's  the  very 
spot  on  which  'The  Hussar'  frigate  was  wrecked." 

"  So  I  have  heard,  sir.  But  she  drew  so  much  water  that 
she  hit  slap  against  the  rock,  and  started  a  butt.  We 
merely  touched  on  its  top  with'our  fore-foot,  and  slid  off." 

This  was  the  simple  explanation  of  the  Swash's  escape, 
and,  everybody  being  now  well  assured  that  no  harm  had 
been  done,  things  fell  into  their  old  and  regular  train  again. 
As  for  Spike,  his  gallantry,  notwithstanding,  was  upset  for 
some  hours,  and  glad  enough  was  he  when  he  saw  all  three 
of  his  passengers  quit  the  deck  to  go  below.  Mrs.  Budd's 
spirits  had  been  so  much  agitated  that  she  told  Rose  she 
would  go  down  into  the  cabin  and  rest  a  few  minutes  on  its 
sofa.  We  say  sofa,  for  that  article  of  furniture,  now-a-days, 
VOL.  I— 4  ^ 


38  JACK    TIER; 

is  far  more  common  in  vessels  than  it  was  thirty  years  ago 
in  the  dwellings  of  the  country. 

"There,  Mulford,"  growled  Spike,  pointing  ahead  of  the 
brig,  to  an  object  on  the  water  that  was  about  half  a  mile 
ahead  of  them,  "there's  that  bloody  boat— d'ye  see?  I 
should  like  of  all  things  to  give  it  the  slip.  There  's  a  chap 
in  that  boat  I  do  n't  like."  • 

"  I  do  n't  see  how  that  can  be  very  well  done,  sir,  unless 
we  anchor,  repass  the  Gate  at  the  turn  of  the  tide,  and  go  to 
sea  by  the  way  of  Sandy  Hook." 

"  That  will  never  do.  I  've  no  wish  to  be  parading  the 
brig  before  the  town.  You  see,  Mulford,  nothing  can  be 
more  innocent  and  proper  than  the  Molly  Swash,  as  you 
know  from  having  sailed  in  her  these  twelve  months.  You  '11 
give  her  that  character,  I  '11  be  sworn  ?" 

"  I  know  no  harm  of  her,  Capt.  Spike,  and  hope  I  never 
shall." 

"  No,  sir — you  know  no  harm  of  her,  nor  does  any  one 
else.  A  nursing  infant  is  not  more  innocent  than  the  Molly 
Swash,  or  could  have  a  clearer  character  if  nothing  but 
truth  was  said  of  her.  But  the  world  is  so  much  given  to 
lying,  that  one  of  the  old  saints,  of  whom  we  read  in  the 
good  book,  such  as  Calvin  and  John  Rogers,  would  be  vil 
ified  if  he  lived  in  these  times.  Then,  it  must  be  owned, 
Mr.  Mulford,  whatever  may  be  the  raal  innocence  of  the  brig, 
she  has  a  most  desperate  wicked  look." 

"  Why,  yes,  sir — it  must  be  owned  she  is  what  we  sailors 
call  a  wicked-looking  craft.  But  some  of  Uncle  Sam's  cruis 
ers  have  that  appearance,  also." 

"  I  know  it — I  know  it,  sir,  and  think  nothing  of  looks 
myself.  Men  are  often  deceived  in  me,  by  my  looks,  which 
have  none  of  your  long-shore  softness  about  'em,  perhaps  ; 
but  my  mother  used  to  say  I  was  one  of  the  most  tender 
hearted  boys  she  had  ever  heard  spoken  of — like  one  of 
the  babes  in  the  woods,  as  it  might  be.  But  mankind  go  so 
much  by  appearances  that  I  don't  like  to  trust  the -brig  too 
much  afore  their  eyes.  Now,  should  we  be  seen  in  the  low 
er  bay,  waiting  for  a  wind,  or  for  the  ebb  tide  to  make,  to 
carry  us  over  the  bar,  ten  to  one  but  some  philotropic  or 
other  would  be  off  with  a  complaint  to  the  District  Attorney 
that  we  looked  like  a  slaver,  and  have  us  all  fetched  up  to  be 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  39 

tried  for  our  lives  as  pirates.  No,  no — I  like  to  keep  the 
brig  in  out-of-the-way  places,  where  she  can  give  no  offence 
to  your  'tropics,  whether  they  be  philos,  or  of  any  other 
sort." 

"  Well,  sir,  we  are  to  the  eastward  of  the  Gate,  and  all 's 
safe.  That  boat  cannot  bring  us  up." 

"  You  forget,  Mr.  Mulford,  the  revenue-craft  that  steamed 
up,  on  the  ebb.  That  vessel  must  be  off  Sands'  Point  by 
this  time,  and  she  may  hear  something  to  our  disparagement 
from  the  feller  in  the  boat,  and  take  it  into  her  smoky  head 
to  walk  us  back  to  town.  I  wish  we  were  well  to  the  east 
ward  of  that  steamer  !  But  there 's  no  use  in  lamentations. 
If  there  is  really  any  danger,  it's  some  distance  ahead  yet, 
thank  Heaven  i" 

"  You  have  no  fears  of  the  man  who  calls  himself  Jack 
Tier,  Capt.  Spike  ?" 

"  None  in  the  world.  That  feller,  as  I  remember  him, 
was  a  little  bustlin'  chap  that  I  kept  in  the  cabin,  as  a  sort 
of  steward's  mate.  There  was  neither  good  nor  harm  in 
him,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection.  But  Josh  can  tell  us 
all  about  him — just  give  Josh  a  call." 

The  best  thing  in  the  known  history  of  Spike  was  the  fact 
that  his  steward  had  sailed  with  him  for  more  than  twenty 
years.  Where  he  had  picked  up  Josh  no  one  could  say, 
but  Josh  and  himself,  and  neither  chose  to  be  very  commu 
nicative  on  the  subject.  But  Josh  had  certainly  been  with 
him  as  long  as  he  had  sailed  the  Swash,  and  that  was  from 
a  time  actually  anterior  to  the  birth  of  Mulford.  The  mate 
soon  had  the  negro  in  the  council. 

"  I  say,  Josh,"  asked  Spike,  "  do  you  happen  to  remem 
ber  such  a  hand  aboard  here  as  one  Jack  Tier  ?" 

"  Lor'  bless  you,  yes  sir — 'members  he  as  well  as  I  do 
the  pea  soup  that  was  burnt,  and  which  you  t'rowed  all  over 
him,  to  scald  him  for  punishment." 

"  I  've  had  to  do  that  so  often,  to  one  careless  fellow  or 
other,  that  the  circumstance  doesn't  recall  the  man.  I 
remember  him — but  not  as  clear  as  I  could  wish.  How 
long  did  he  sail  with  us  ?" 

"  Sebberal  v'y'ge,  sir,  and  got  left  ashore  down  on  the 
main,  one  night,  when  'e  boat  were  obliged  to  shove  off  in 
a  hurry.  Yes,  'members  little  Jack,  right  well  I  does." 


40  JACK   TIER; 

"  Did  you  see  the  man  that  spoke  us  from  the  wharf,  and 
hailed  for  this  very  Jack  Tier  T' 

<f  I  see'd  a  man,  sir,  dat  was  won'erful  Jack  Tier  built 
like,  sir,  but- 1  didn't  hear  the  conwersation,  habbin'  the 
ladies  to  'tend  to.  But  Jack  was  oncommon  short  in  his 
floor  timbers,  sir,  and  had  no  length  of  keel  at  all.  His  beam 
was  won'erful  for  his  length,  altogedder  —  what  you  call 
jolly-boat,  or  bum-boat  build,  and  was  only  good  afore 'e 
wind,  Cap'n  Spike." 

"  Was  he  good  for  anything  aboard  ship,  Josh  ?  Worth 
heaving-to  for,  should  he  try  to  get  aboard  of  us  again  ?" 

"  Why,  sir,  can't  say  much  for  him  in  dat  fashion.  Jack 
was  handy  in  the  cabin,  and  capital  feller  to  carry  soup  from 
the  gaily,  aft.  You  see,  sir,  he  was  so  low-rigged  that  the 
brig's  lurchin'  and  pitchin'  could  n't  get  him  off  his  pins, 
and  he  stood  up  like  a  church  in  the  heaviest  wea'der.  Yes, 
sir,  Jack  was  right  good  for  dat." 

Spike  mused  a  moment — then  he  rolled  the  tobacco  over 
in  his  mouth,  and  added,  in  the  way  a  man  speaks  when  his 
mind  is  made  up — 

"Ay  ay  !  I  see  into  the  fellow.  He'll  make  a  handy 
lady's  maid,  and  we  want  such  a  chap  just  now.  It 's  better 
to  have  an  old  friend  aboard,  than  to  be  pickin'  up  strangers, 
'long  shore.  So,  should  this  Jack  Tier  come  off  to  us,  from 
any  of  the  islands  or  points  ahead,  Mr.  Mulford,  you'll 
round  to  and  take  him  aboard.  As  for  the  steamer,  if  she 
will  only  pass  out  into  the  Sound  where  there's  room,  it 
shall  go  hard  with  us  but  I  get  to  the  eastward  of  her,  with 
out  speaking.  On  the  other  hand,  should  she  anchor  this 
side  of  the  fort,  I  '11  not  attempt  to  pass  her.  There  is  deep 
water  inside  of  most  of  the  islands,  I  know,  and  we'll  try 
and  dodge  her  in  that  way,  if  no  better  offer.  I  Ve  no  more 
reason  than  another  craft  to  fear  a  government  vessel,  but 
the  sight  of  one  of  them  makes  me  oncomfortable ;  that 's 
all."  . 

Mulford  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  remained  silent,  per 
ceiving  that  his  commander  was  not  disposed  to  pursue  the 
subject  any  further.  In  the  mean  time,  the  brig  had  passed 
beyond  the  influence  of  the  bluff,  and  was  beginning  to  feel 
a  stronger  breeze,  that  was  coming  down  the  wide  opening 
of  Flushing  Bay.  As  the  tide  still  continued  strong  in  her 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  41 

favour,  and  her  motion  through  the  water  was  getting  to  be 
four  or  five  knots,  there  was  every  prospect  of  her  soon 
reaching  Whitestone,  the  point  where  the  tides  meet,  and 
where  it  would  hecome  necessary  to  anchor  ;  unless,  indeed, 
the  wind,  which  was  now  getting  to  the  southward  and  east 
ward,  should  come  round  more  to  the  south.  All  this  Spike 
and  his  mate  discussed  together,  while  the  people  were  clear 
ing-  the  decks,  and  making  the  preparations  that  are  custo 
mary  on  board  a  vessel  before  she  gets  into  rough  water. 

By  this  time  it  was  ascertained  that  the  brig  had  received 
no  damage  by  her  salute  of  the  Pot  Rock,  and  every  trace 
of  uneasiness  on  that  account  was  removed.  But  Spike  kept 
harping  on  the  boat,  and  "  the  pilot-looking  chap  who  was 
in  her."  As  they  passed  Hiker's  Island,  all  hands  expected 
a  boat  would  put  off  with  a  pilot,  or  to  demand  pilotage  ;  but 
none  came,  and  the  Swash  now  seemed  released  from  all 
her  present  dangers,  unless  some  might  still  be  connected 
with  the  revenue  steamer.  To  retard  her  advance,  however, 
the  wind  came  out  a  smart  working  breeze  from  the  south 
ward  and  eastward,  compelling  her  to  make  "  long  legs  and 
short  ones  "  on  her  way  towards  Whitestone. 

"  This  is  beating  the  wind,  Rosy  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Budd, 
complacently,  she  and  her  niece  having  returned  to  the  deck 
a  few  minutes  after  this  change  had  taken  place.  "  Your 
respected  uncle  did  a  great  deal  of  this  in  his  time,  and  was 
very  successful  in  it.  I  have  heard  him  say,  that  in  one  of 
his  voyages  between  Liverpool  and  New  York,  he  beat  the 
wind  by  a  whole  fortnight,  everybody  talking  of  it  in  the 
insurance  offices,  as  if  it  was  a  miracle." 

"  Ay,  ay,  Madam  Budd,"  put  in  Spike,  "  I'll  answer  for 
that.  They  're  desperate  talkers  in  and  about  them  there 
insurance  offices  in  Wall  street.  Great  gossips  be  they, 
and  they  think  they  know  everything.  Now  just  because 
this  brig  is  a  little  old  or  so,  and  was  built  for  a  privateer  in 
the  last  war,  they  'd  refuse  to  rate  her  as  even  B,  No.  2, 
and  my  blessing  on  'em." 

"  Yes,  B,  No.  2,  that's  just  what  your  ctear  uncle  used 
to  call  me,  Rosy — his  charming  B,  No.  2,  or  Betsy,  No.  2  ; 
particularly  when  he  was  in  a  loving  mood.  Captain  Spike, 
did  you  ever  beat  the  wind  in  a  long  voyage  ?" 

"I  can't  say  I  ever  did,  Mrs.  Budd,"  answered  Spike, 
4  * 


42  JACK   TIER; 

looking  grimly  around,  to  ascertain  if  any  one  dared  to  smile 
at  his  passenger's  mistake ;  "  especially  for  so  long  a  pull 
as  from  New  York  to  Liverpool." 

"  Then  your  uncle  used  to  boast  of  the  Rose  In  Bloom's 
wearing  and  attacking.  She  would  attack  anything  that 
came  in  her  way,  no  matter  who,  and  as  for  wearing,  I 
think  he  once  told  me  she  would  wear  just  what  she  had  a 
mind  to,  like  any  human  being." 

Rose  was  a  little  mystified,  but  she  looked  vexed  at  the 
same  time,  as  if  she  distrusted  all  was  not  right. 

"  I  remember  all  my  sea  education,"  continued  the  unsus 
pecting  widow,  "  as  if  it  had  been  learnt  yesterday.  Beat 
ing  the  wind  and  attacking  ship,  my  poor  Mr.  Budd  used 
to  say,  were  nice  manoeuvres,  and  required  most  of  his  tac 
tics,  especially  in  heavy  weather.  Did  you  know,  Rosy 
dear,  that  sailors  weigh  the  weather,  and  know  when  it  is 
heavy  and  when  it  is  light?" 

"  I  did  not,  aunt ;  nor  do  I  understand  now  how  it  can 
very  well  be  done." 

"  Oh  !  ohild,  before  you  have  been  at  sea  a  week,  you 'will 
learn  so  many  things  that  are  new,  and  get  so  many  ideas 
of  which  you  never  had  any  notion  before,  that  you  '11  not 
be  the  same  person.  My  captain  had  an  instrument  he 
called  a  thermometer,  and  with  that  he  used  to  weigh  the 
weather,  and  then  he  would  write  down  in  the  log-book  *  to 
day,  heavy  weather,  or  to-morrow,  light  weather,'  just  as  it 
happened,  and  that  helped  him  mightily  along  in  his  voy 
ages." 

"  Mrs.  Budd  has  merely  mistaken  the  name  of  the  instru 
ment — the  '  barometer '  is  what  she  wished  to  say,"  put  in 
Mulford,  opportunely. 

Rose  looked  grateful,  as  well  as  relieved.  Though  pro 
foundly  ignorant  on  these  subjects  herself,  she  had  always 
suspected  her  aunt's  knowledge.  It  was,  consequently, 
grateful  to  her  to  ascertain  that,  in  this  instance,  the  old 
lady's  mistake  had  been  so  trifling. 

"  Well,  it  may  have  been  the  barometer,  for  I  know  he 
had  them  both,"  resumed  the  aunt.  "  Barometer,  or  ther 
mometer,  it  do  n't  make  any  great  difference ;  or  quadrant, 
or  sextant.  They  are  all  instruments,  and  sometimes  he 
used  one,  and  sometimes  another.  Sailors  take  on  board 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  43 

the  sun,  too,  and  have  an  instrument  for  that,  as  well  as 
one  to  weigh  the  weather  with.  Sometimes  they  take  on 
board  the  stars,  and  the  moon,  and  *  fill  their  ships  with  the 
heavenly  bodies,'  as  I  've  heard  my  dear  husband  say,  again 
and  again  !  But  the  most  curious  thing  at  sea,  as  all  sailors 
tell  me,  is  crossing  the  line,  and  I  do  hope  we  shall  cross 
the  line,  Rosy,  that  you  and  I  may  see  it." 

"  What  is  the  line,  aunty,  and  how  do  vessels  cross  it." 

"  The  line,  my  dear,  is  a  place  in  the  ocean  where  the 
earth  is  divided  into  two  parts,  one  part  being  called  the 
North  Pole,  and  the  other  part  the  South  Pole.  Neptune 
lives  near  this  line,  and  he  allows  no  vessel  to  go  out  of  one 
pole  into  the  other,  without  paying  it  a  visit.  Never !  never  ! 
— he  would  as  soon  think  of  living  on  dry  land  as  think  of 
letting  even  a  canoe  pass,  without  visiting  it." 

"  Do  you  suppose  there  is  such  a  being,  really,  as  Nep 
tune,  aunty?" 

"  To  be  sure  I  do  ;  he  is  king  of  the  sea.  Why  should  n't 
there  be?  The  sea  must  have  a  king,  as  well  as  the  land." 

"  The  sea  may  be  a  republic,  aunty,  like  this  country ; 
then,  no  king  is  necessary.  I  have  always  supposed  Nep 
tune  to  be  an  imaginary  being." 

"  Oh  that 's  impossible — the  sea  is  no  republic ;  there  are 
but  two  republics,  America  and  Texas.  I  've  heard  that  the 
sea  is  a  highway,  it  is  true — the  '  highway  of  nations,'  I 
believe  it  is  called,  and  that  must  mean  something  particular. 
But  my  poor  Mr.  Budd  always  told  me  that  Neptune  was 
king  of  the  seas,  and  he  was  always  so  accurate,  you  might 
depend  on  everything  he  said.  Why,  he  called  his  last  New 
foundland  dog  Neptune ;  and  do  you  think,  Rosy,  that  your 
dear  uncle  would  call  his  dog  after  an  imaginary  being? — 
and  he  a  man  to  beat  the  wind,  and  attack  ship,  and  take 
the  sun,  moon  and  stars  aboard  !  No,  no,  child ;  fanciful 
folk  may  see  imaginary  beings,  but  solid  folk  see  solid  be 
ings." 

Even  Spike  was  dumfounded  at  this,  and  there  is  no 
knowing  what  he  might  have  said,  had  not  an  old  sea-dog, 
who  had  just  come  out  of  the  fore-toprnast  cross-trees,  come 
aft,  and,  hitching  up  his  trowsers  with  one  hand  while  he 
touched  his  hat  with  the  other,  said  with  immoveable  grav 
ity, 


44  JACK    TIER; 

"  The  revenue-steamer  has  brought  up  just  tinder  the  fort. 
Capt.  Spike." 

"  How  do  you  know  that,  Bill  ?"  demanded  the  captain, 
with  a  rapidity  that  showed  how  completely  Mrs.  Budd  and 
all  her  absurdities  were  momentarily  forgotten. 

"  I  was  up  on  the  fore-topgallant  yard,  sir,  a  bit  ago,  just 
to  look  to  the  strap  of  the  jewel-block,  which  wants  some 
sarvice  on  it,  and  I  see'd  her  over  the  land,  bio  win'  off  steam 
and  takin'  in  her  kites.  Afore  I  got  out  of  the  cross-trees, 
she  was  head  to  wind  under  bare-poles,  and  if  she  had  n't 
anchored,  she  was  about  to  do  so.  I  'm  sartin  'twas  she, 
sir,  and  that  she  was  about  to  bring  up." 

Spike  gave  a  long,  low  whistle,  after  his  fashion,  and  he 
walked  away  from  the  females,  with  the  air  of  a  man  who 
wanted  room  to  think  in.  Half  a  minute  later,  he  called 
out — 

"  Stand  by  to  shorten  sail,  boys.  Man  fore-clew-gar 
nets,  flying  jib  down  haul,  topgallant  sheets,  and  gaff-topsail 
gear.  In  with  'em  all,  my  lads — in  with  everything,  with  a 
will." 

An  order  to  deal  with  the  canvas  in  any  way,  on  board 
ship,  immediately  commands  the  whole  attention  of  all  whose 
duty  it  is  to  attend  to  such  matters,  and  there  was  an  end 
of  all  discourse  while  the  Swash  was  shortening  sail.  Every 
body  understood,  too,  that  it  was  to  gain  time,  and  prevent 
the  brig  from  reaching  Throg's  Neck  sooner  than  was  de 
sirable. 

"  Keep  the  brig  off,"  called  out  Spike,  "  and  let  her  ware 
— we  're  too  busy  to  tack  just  now." 

The  man  at  the  wheel  knew  very  well  what  was  wanted, 
and  he  put  his  helm  up,  instead  of  putting  it  down,  as  he 
might  have  done  without  this  injunction.  As  this  change 
brought  the  brig  before  the  wind,  and  Spike  was  in  no  hurry 
to  luff  up  on  the  other  tack,  the  Swash  soon  ran  over  a  mile 
of  the  distance  she  had  already  made,  putting  her  back  that 
much  on  her  way  to  the  Neck.  It  is  out  of  our  power  to 
say  what  the  people  of  the  different  craft  in  sight  thought  of 
all  this,  but  an  opportunity  soon  offered  of  putting  them  on 
a  wrong  scent.  A  large  coasting  schooner,  carrying  every 
thing  that  would  draw  on  a  wind,  came  sweeping  under  the 
stern  of  the  Swash,  and  hailed. 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  45 

"  Has  anything  happened,  on  board  that  brig  ?"  demanded 
her  master. 

"  Man  overboard,"  answered  Spike — "  you  hav'nt  seen 
his  hat,  have  you?" 

»  No — no,"  came  back,  just  as  the  schooner,  in  her  on- 
ward  course,  swept  beyond  the  reach  of  the  voice.  Her 
people  collected  together,  and  one  or  two  ran  up  the  rigging 
a  short  distance,  stretching  their  necks,  on  the  look-out  for 
the  "  poor  fellow,"  but  they  were  soon  called  down  to  "  'bout 
ship."  In  less  than  five  minutes,  another  vessel,  a  rakish 
coasting  sloop,  came  within  hail. 

"  Did  n't  that  brig  strike  the  Pot  Rock,  in  passing  the 
Gate?"  demanded  her  captain. 

u  Ay,  ay  ! — and  a  devil  of  a  rap  she  got,  too." 
This  satisfied  him ;  there  being  nothing  remarkable  in  a 
vessel's  acting  strangely  that  had  hit  the  Pot  Rock  in  pass 
ing  Hell  Gate. 

"  I  think  we  may  get  in  o.ur  mainsail  on  the  strength  of 
this,  Mr.  Mulford,"  said  Spike.  "  There  can  be  nothing  on- 
common  in  a  craft's  shortening  sail,  that  has  a  man  over 
board,  and  which  has  hit  the  Pot  Rock.  I  wonder  I  never 
thought  of  all  this  before." 

'  Here  is  a  skiff  trying  to  get  alongside  of  us,  Capt.  Spike," 
called  out  the  boatswain. 

"  Skiff  be  d d  !  I  want  no  skiff  here." 

"The  man  that  called  himself  Jack  Tier  is  in  her,  sir." 
"  The  d — I  he  is  !"  cried  Spike,  springing  over  to  the  op 
posite  side  of  the  deck  to  take  a  look  for  himself.  To  his 
infinite  satisfaction  he  perceived  that  Tier  was  alone  in  the 
skiff,  with  the  exception  of  a  negro,  who  pulled  its  sculls, 
and  that  this  was  a  very  different  boat  from  that  which  had 
glanced  through  Hell  Gate,  like  an  arrow  darting  from  its 
bow. 

"  Luff,  and  shake  your  topsail,"  called  out.  Spike.  "  Get 
a  rope  there  to  throw  to  this  skiff." 

The  orders  were  obeyed,  and  Jack  Tier,  with  his  clothes- 
bag,  was  soon  on  the  deck  of  the  Swash.  As  for  the  skiff 
and  the  negro,  they  were  cast  adrift  the  instant  the  latter 
had  received  his  quarter.  The  meeting  between  Spike  and 
his  quondam  steward's  mate  was  a  little  remarkable.  Each 
stood  looking  intently  at  the  other,  as  if  to  note  the  changes 


46  JACK   TIER; 

which  time  had  made.  We  cannot  say  that  Spike's  hard, 
red,  selfish  countenance  betrayed  any  great  feeling,  though 
such  was  not  the  case  with  Jack  Tier's.  The  last,  a  lym 
phatic,  puffy  sort  of  a  person  at  the  best,  seemed  really  a 
little  touched,  and  he  either  actually  brushed  a  tear  from  his 
eye,  or  he  affected  so  to  do. 

"So,  you  are  my  old  shipmate,  Jack  Tier,  are  ye?" 
exclaimed  Spike,  in  a  half-patronizing,  half-hesitating  way 
— and  you  want  to  try  the  old  craft  ag'in.  Give  us  a  leaf 
of  your  log,  and  let  me  know  where  you  have  been  this 
many  a  day,  and  what  you  have  been  about?  Keep  the 
brig  off,  Mr.  Mulford.  We  are  in  no  particular  hurry  to 
reach  Throg's,  you  '11  remember,  sir." 

Tier  gave  an  account  of  his  proceedings,  which  could 
have  no  interest  with  the  reader.  His  narrative  was  any 
thing  but  very  clear,  and  it  was  delivered  in  a  cracked, 
octave  sort  of  a  voice,  such  as  little  dapper  people  not 
unfrequently  enjoy — tones  between  those  of  a  man  and  a 
boy.  The  substance  of  the  whole  story  was  this.  Tier 
had  been  left  ashore,  as  sometimes  happens  to  sailors,  and, 
by  necessary  connection,  was  left  to  shift  for  himself.  After 
making  some  "vain  endeavours  to  rejoin  his  brig,  he  had 
shipped  in  one  vessel  after  another,  until  he  accidentally 
found  himself  in  the  port  of  New  York,  at  the  same  time  as 
the  Swash.  He  know'd  he  never  should  be  truly  happy 
ag'in  until  he  could  once  more  get  aboard  the  old  hussy,  and 
had  hurried  up  to  the  wharf,  where  he  understood  the  brig 
was  lying.  As  he  came  in  sight,  he  saw  she  was  about  to 
cast  off,  and,  dropping  his  clothes-bag,  he  had  made  the  best 
of  his  way  to  the  wharf,  where  the  conversation  passed  that 
has  been  related. 

"  The  gentleman  on  the  wharf  was  about  to  take  boat, 
to  go  through  the  Gate,"  concluded  Tier,  "  and  so  I  begs  a 
passage  of  him.  He  was  good-natured  enough  to  wait  unti1 
I  could  find  my  bag,  and  as  soon  a'terwards  as  the  men 
could  get  their  grog  we  shoved  off.  The  Molly  was  just 
getting  in  behind  Blackwell's  as  we  left  the  wharf,  and, 
having  four  good  oars,  and  the  shortest  road,  we  come  out 
into  the  Gate  just  ahead  on  you.  My  eye  !  what  a  place 
that  is  to  go  through  in  a  boat,  and  on  a  strong  flood  !  The 
gentleman,  who  watched  the  brig  as  a  cat  watches  a  mouse, 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  47 

says  you  struck  on  the  Pot,  as  he  called  it,  but  I  says  '  no,' 
for  the  Molly  Swash  was  never  know'd  to  hit  rock  or  shoal 
in  my  time  aboard  her." 

"And  where  did  you  quit  that  gentleman,  and  what  has 
become  of  him?"  asked  Spike. 

"  He  put  me  ashore  on  that  point  above  us,  where  I  see'd 
a  nigger  with  his  skiff,  who  I  thought  would  be  willin'  to  'am 
his  quarter  by  giving  me  a  cast  alongside.  So  here  I  am, 
and  a  long  pull  I 've  had  to  get  here." 

As  this  was  said,  Jack  removed  his  hat  and  wiped  his 
brow  with  a  handkerchief,  which,  if  it  had  never  seen  better 
days,  had  doubtless  been  cleaner.  After  this,  he  looked 
about  him,  with  an  air  not  entirely  free  from  exultation. 

This  conversation  had  taken  place  in  the  gangway,  a 
somewhat  public  place,  and  Spike  beckoned  to  his  recruit 
to  walk  aft,  where  he  might  be  questioned  without  being 
overheard. 

"  What  became  of  the  gentleman  in  the  boat,  as  you  call 
him  ?"  demanded  Spike. 

"  He  pulled  ahead,  seeming  to  be  in  a  hurry." 

"  Do  you  know  who  he  was  ?" 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.  I  never  saw  the  man  before,  and  he 
did  n't  tell  me  his  business,  sir." 

"  Had  he  anything  like  a  silver  oar  about  him." 

"  I  saw  nothing  of  the  sort,  Capt.  Spike,  and  knows  no 
thing  consarning  him." 

"  What  sort  of  a  boat  was  he  in,  and  where  did  he  get  it?" 

"  Well,  as  to  the  boat,  sir,  I  can  say  a  word,  seein'  it  was 
so  much  to  my  mind,  and  pulled  so  wonderful  smart.  It 
was  a  light  ship's  yawl,  with  four  oars,  and  came  round  the 
Hook  just  a'ter  you  had  got  the  brig's  head  round  to  the 
eastward.  You  must  have  seen  it,  I  should  think,  though 
it  kept  close  in  with  the  wharves,  as  if  it  wished  to  be  snug." 

"  Then  the  gentleman,  as  you  call  him,  expected  that 
very  boat  to  come  and  take  him  off?" 

"  I  suppose  so,  sir,  because  it  did  come  and  take  him  off. 
That 's  all  I  knows  about  it." 

"  Had  you  no  jaw  with  the  gentleman  ?  You  was  n't 
mnm  the  whole  lime  you  was  in  the  boat  with  him  ?" 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,  sir.  Silence  and  I  does  n't  agree  together 
long,  and  so  we  talked  most  of  the  time." 


48  JACK   TIER; 

"  And  what  did  the  stranger  say  of  the  brig?" 

"  Lord,  sir,  he  catechised  me  like  as  if  I  had  been  a  child 
at  Sunday-school.  lie  asked  me  how  long  I  had  sailed  in 
her;  what  ports  we'd  visited,  and  what  trade  we'd  been  in. 
You  can't  think  the  sight  of  questions  he  put,  and  how 
cur'ous  he  was  for  the  answers." 

"  And  what  did  you  tell  him  in  your  answers?  You  said 
nothin'  about  our  call  down  on  the  Spanish  Main,  the  timo 
you  were  left  ashore,  I  hope,  Jack  ?" 

"  Not  I,  sir.  I  played  him  ofFsurprisin'Iy.  He  got  nothin' 
to  count  upon  out  of  me.  Though  I  do  owe  the  Molly  Swash 
a  grudge,  I  'm  not  goin'  to  betray  her." 

"  You  owe  the  Molly  Swash  a  grudge  !  Have  f  taken  an 
enemy  on  board  her,  then  ?" 

Jack  started,  and  seemed  sorry  he  had  said  so  much ; 
while  Spike  eyed  him  keenly.  But  the  answer  set  all  right. 
It  was  not  given,  however,  without  a  moment  for  recollec 
tion. 

*'  Oh,  you  knows  what  I  mean,  sir.  I  owe  the  old  hussy 
a  grudge  for  having  desarted  me  like;  but  it's  only  a  love 
quarrel  atween  us.  The  old  Molly  will. never  come  to  harm 
by  my  means." 

"  I  hope  not,  Jack.  The  man  that  wrongs  the  craft  he 
sails  in  can  never  be  a  true-hearted  sailor.  Stick  by  your 
ship  in  all  weathers  is  my  rule,  and  a  good  rule  it  is  to  go 
by.  But  what  did  you  tell  the  stranger  ?" 

"  Oh  !  1  told  him  I  'd  been  six  v'y'ges  in  the  brig.  The 
first  was  to  Madagascar — " 

"  The  d — I  you  did?  Was  he  soft  enough  to  believe 
that  ?" 

"That's  more  than  I  knows,  sir.  I  can  only  tell  you 
what  I  said;  1  don't  pretend  to  know  how  much  he  be 
lieved." 

"  Heave  ahead — what  next  ?" 

"  Then  I  told  him  we  went  to  Kamschatka  for  gold  dust 
and  ivory." 

"  Whe-e-ew  !  What  did  the  man  say  to  that  ?" 

"  Why,  he  smiled  a  bit,  and  a'ter  that  he  seemed  more 
cur'ous  than  ever  to  hear  all  about  it.  I  told  him  my  third 
v'y'ge  was  to  Canton,  with  a  cargo  of  broom-corn,  where 
we  took  in  salmon  and  dua-fish  for  home.  A'ter  that  we 


OR,    THE      FLORIDA     REEF.  49 

went  to  Norway  with  ice,  and  brought  back  silks  and  money. 
Our  next  run  was  to  the  Havana,  with  salt  and  'nips — " 

"'Nips!  what  the  devil  be  they?" 

"  Turnips,  you  knows,  sir.  We  always  calls  'em  'nips 
in  cargo.  At  the  Havana- 1  told  him  we  took  in  leather  and 
jerked  beef,  and  came  home.  Oh  !  he  got  nothin'  from  me, 
Capt.  Spike,  that'll  ever  do  the  brig  a  morsel  of  harm !" 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,  Jack.  You  must  know  enough  of 
the  seas  to  understand  that  a  close  mouth  is  sometimes  bet 
ter  for  a  vessel  than  a  clean  bill  of  health.  Was  there  no 
thing  said  about  the  revenue-steamer?" 

"  Now  you  name  her,  sir,  I  believe  there  was — ay,  ay, 
sir,  the  gentleman  did  say,  if  the  steamer  fetched  up  to  the 
westward  of  the  fort,  that  he  should  overhaul  her  without 
difficulty,  on  this  flood. 

"  That  '11  do,  Jack  ;  that  '11  do,  my  honest  fellow.  Go 
below,  and  tell  Josh  to  take  you  into  the  cabin  again,  as 
steward's  mate.  You  're  rather  too  Dutch  built,  in  your  old 
age,  to  do  much  aloft." 

One  can  hardly  say  whether  Jack  received  this  remark 
as  complimentary,  or  not.  He  looked  a  little  glum,  for  a 
man  may  be  as  round  as  a  barrel,  and  wish  to  be  thought 
genteel  and  slender ;  but  he  went  below,  in  quest  of  Josh, 
without  making  any  reply. 

The  succeeding  movements  of  Spike  appeared  to  be  much 
influenced  by  what  he  had  just  heard.  Fie  kept  the  brig  un 
der  short  canvas  for  near  two  hours,  sheering  about  in  the 
same  place,  taking  care  to  tell  everything  which  spoke  him 
that  he  had  lost  a  man  overboard.  In  this  way,  not  only 
the  tide,  but  the  day  itself,  was  nearly  spent.  About  the 
time  the  former  began  to  lose  its  strength,  however,  the 
fore-course  and  the  main-sail  were  got  on  the  brigantine, 
with  the  intention  of  working  her  up  toward  Whitestone, 
where  the  tides  meet,  and  near  which  the  revenue-steamer 
was  known  to  be  anchored.  We  say  near,  though  it  was, 
in  fact,  a  mile  or  two  more  to  the  eastward,  and  close  to  the 
extremity  of  the  Point. 

Notwithstanding  these  demonstrations  of  a  wish  to  work 

to  windward,  Spike  was  really  in  no  hurry.     He  had  made 

up  his  mind  to  pass  the  steamer  in  the  dark,  if  possible,  and 

the  night  promised  to  favour  him  ;    but,  in  order  to  do  this, 

VOL.  I.  —  5 


50  JACK   TIER; 

it  might  be  necessary  not  to  come  in  sight  of  her  at  all ;  or, 
at  least,  not  until  the  obscurity  should  in  some  measure 
conceal  his  rig  and  character.  In  consequence  of  this  plan, 
the  Swash  made  no  great  progress,  even  after  she  had  got 
sail  on  her,  on  her  old  course.  The  wind  lessened,  too, 
after  the  sun  went  down,  though  it  still  hung  to  the  east 
ward,  or  nearly  ahead.  As  the  tide  gradually  lost  its  force, 
moreover,  the  set  to  windward  became  less  and  less,  until 
it  finally  disappeared  altogether. 

There  is  necessarily  a  short  reach  in  this  passage,  where 
it  is  always  slack  water,  so  far  as  .current  is  concerned. 
This  is  precisely  where  the  tides  meet,  or,  as  has  been  inti 
mated,  at  Whitestone,  which  is  somewhat  more  than  a  mile 
to  the  westward  of  Throgmorton's  Neck,  near  the  point  of 
which  stands  Fort  Schuyler,  one  of  the  works  recently 
erected  for  the  defence  of  New  York.  Off  the  pitch  of  the 
point,  nearly  mid-channel,  had  the  steamer  anchored,  a  fact 
of  which  Spike  had  made  certain,  by  going  aloft  himself, 
and  reconnoitering  her  over  the  land,  before  it  had  got  to  be 
too  dark  to  do  so.  He  entertained  no  manner  of  doubt  that 
this  vessel  was  in  waiting  for  him,  and  he  well  knew  there 
was  good  reason  for  it ;  but  he  would  not  return  and  attempt 
the  passage  to  sea  by  way  of  Sandy  Hook.  His  manner  of 
regarding  the  whole  matter  was  cool  and  judicious.  The 
distance  to  the  Hook  was  too  great  to  be  made  in  such  short 
nights  ere  the  return  of  day,  and  he  had  no  manner  of  doubt 
he  was  watched  for  in  that  direction,  as  well  as  in  this. 
Then  he  was  particularly  unwilling  to  show  his  craft  at  all 
in  front  of  the  town,  even  in  the  night.  Moreover,  he  had 
ways  of  his  own  for  effecting  his  purposes,  and  this  was  the 
very  spot  and  time  to  put  them  in  execution. 

While  these  things  were  floating  in  his  mind,  Mrs.  Budd 
and  her  handsome  niece  were  making  preparations  for  pass 
ing  the  night,  aided  by  Biddy  Noon.  The  old  lady  was 
factotum,  or  factota,  as  it  might  be  most  classical  to  call  her, 
though  we  are  entirely  without  authorities  on  the  subject, 
and  was  just  as  self-complacent  and  ambitious  of  sea  woman- 
ship  below  decks,  as  she  had  been  above  board.  The  effect, 
however,  gave  Spike  great  satisfaction,  since  it  kept  her  out 
of  sight,  and  left  him  more  at  liberty  to  carry  out  his  own 
plans.  About  nine,  however,  the  good  woman  came  on 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  51 

deck,  intending  to  take  a  look  at  the  weather,  like  a  skilful 
marineress  as  she  was,  before  she  turned  in.  Not  a  little 
was  she  astonished  at  what  she  then  and  there  beheld,  as 
she  whispered  to  Rose  and  Biddy,  both  of  whom  stuck  close 
to  her  side,  feeling  the  want  of  good  pilotage,  no  doubt,  in 
strange  waters. 

The  Molly  Swash  was  still  under  her  canvas,  though  very 
little  sufficed  for  her  present  purposes.  She  was  directly  off 
Whitestone,  and  was  making  easy  stretches  across  the  pass 
age,  or  river,  as  it  is  called,  having  nothing  set  but  her  huge 
fore-and-aft  mainsail  and  the  jib.  Under  this  sail  she 
worked  like  a  top,  and  Spike  sometimes  fancied  she  travelled 
too  fast  for  his  purposes,  the  night  air  having  thickened  the 
canvas  as  usual,  until  it  "  held  the  wind  as  a  bottle  holds 
water."  There  was  nothing  in  this,  however,  to  attract  the 
particular  attention  of  the  ship-master's  widow,  a  sail,  more 
or  less,  being  connected  with  observation  much  too  critical 
for  her  schooling,  nice  as  the  last  had  been.  She  was  sur 
prised  to  find  the  men  stripping  the  brig  forward,  and  con 
verting  her  into  a  schooner.  Nor  was  this  done  in  a  loose 
and  slovenly  manner,  under  favour  of  the  obscurity.  On 
the  contrary,  it  was  so  well  executed  that  it  might  have  de 
ceived  even  a  seaman  under  a  noon-day  sun,  provided  the 
vessel  were  a  mile  or  two  distant.  The  manner  in  which 
the  metamorphosis  was  made  was  as  follows  :  the  stud 
ding-sail  booms  had  been  taken  off  the  topsail-yard,  in  order 
to  shorten  it  to  the  eye,  and  the  yard  itself  was  swayed  up 
about  half-mast,  to  give  it  the  appearance  of  a  schooner's 
fore-yard.  The  brig's  real  lower  yard  was  lowered  on  the 
bulwarks,  while  her  royal  yard  was  sent  down  altogether, 
and  the  topgallant-mast  was  lowered  until  the  heel  rested  GJI 
the  topsail  yard,  all  of  which,  in  the  night,  gave  the  gear 
forward  very  much  the  appearance  of  that  of  a  fore-topsail 
schooner,  instead  of  that  of  a  half-rigged  brig,  as  the  craft 
really  was.  As  the  vessel  carried  a  try-sail  on  her  fore 
mast,  it  answered  very  well,  in  the  dark,  to  represent  a 
schooner's  foresail.  Several  other  little  dispositions  of  this 
nature  were  made,  about  which  it  might  weary  the  uninitiated 
to  read,  but  which  will  readily  suggest  themselves  to  the 
mind  of  a  sailor. 

These  alterations  were  far  advanced  when  the  females 


52  JACK   TIER; 

re-appeared  on  deck.  They  at  once  attracted  their  atten« 
tion,  and  the  captain's  widow  felt  the  imperative  necessity, 
as  connected  with  her  professional  character,  of  proving  the 
same.  She  soon  found  Spike,  who  was  bustling  around  the 
deck,  now  looking  around  to  see  that  his  brig  was  kept  in 
the  channel,  now  and  then  issuing  an  order  to  complete  her 
disguise. 

"  Captain  Spike,  what  can  be  the  meaning  of  all  these 
changes  ?  The  tamper  of  your  vessel  is  so  much  altered 
that  I  declare  I  should  not  have  known  her !" 

"  Is  it,  by  George !  Then  she  is  just  in  the  state  I  want 
her  to  be  in." 

"  But  why  have  you  done  it — and  what  does  it  all  mean  ?" 

"  Oh,  Molly  's  going  to  bed  for  the  night,  and  she's  only 
undressing  herself — that's  all." 

"  Yes,  Rosy  dear,  Captain  Spike  is  right.  I  remember 
that  my  poor  Mr.  Budd  used  to  talk  about  The  Rose  In  Bloom 
having  her  clothes  on,  and  her  clothes  off,  just  as  if  she  was 
a  born  woman  !  But  do  n't  you  mean  to  navigate  at  all  in 
the  night,  Captain  Spike?  Or  will  the  brig  navigate  with 
out  sails?" 

"That's  it — she's  just  as  good  in  the  dark,  under  one 
sort  of  canvas,  as  under  another.  So,  Mr.  Mulford,  we  '11 
take  a  reef  in  that  mainsail;  it  will  bring  it  nearer  io  the 
size  of  our  new  foresail,  and  seem  more  ship-shape  and 
Brister  fashion — then  I  think  she'll  do,  as  the  night  is  get- 
ting  to  be  rather  darkish." 

"  Captain  Spike,"  said  the  boatswain,  who  had  been  set 
to  look-out  for  that  particular  change — "  the  brig  begins  to 
feel  the  new  tide,  and  sets  to  windward." 

"  Let  her  go,  then — now  is  as  good  a  time  as  another. 
We  've  got  to  run  the  gantlet,  and  the  sooner  it  is  done  the 
better." 

As  the  moment  seemed  propitious,  not  only  Mulford,  but 
all  the  people,  heard  this  order  with  satisfaction.  The  night 
was  star-light,  though  not  very  clear  at  that.  Objects  on 
the  water,  however,  were  more  visible  than  those  on  the  land, 
while  those  on  the  last  could  be  seen  well  enough,  even  from 
the  brig,  though  in  confused  and  somewhat  shapeless  piles. 
When  the  Swash  was  brought  close  by  the  wind,  she  had 
just  got  into  the  last  reach  of  the  "  river,"  or  that  which 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  53 

runs  parallel  with  the  Neck  for  near  a  mile,  doubling  where 
the  Sound  expands  itself,  gradually,  to  a  breadth  of  many 
leagues.  Still  the  navigation  at  the  entrance  of  this  end  of 
the  Sound  was  intricate  and  somewhat  dangerous,  rendering 
it  indispensable  for  a  vessel  of  any  size  to  make  a  crooked 
course.  The  wind  stood  at  south-east,  and  was  very  scant 
to  lay  through  the  reach  with,  while  the  tide  was  so  slack 
as  barely  to  possess  a  visible  current  at  that  place.  The 
steamer  lay  directly  off  the  Point,  mid-channel,  as  mentioned, 
showing  lights,  to  mark  her  position  to  anything  which  might 
be  passing  in  or  out.  The  great  thing  was  to  get  by  her 
without  exciting  her  suspicion.  As  all  on  board,  the  females 
excepted,  knew  what  their  captain  was  at,  the  attempt  was 
made  amid  an  anxious  and  profound  silence;  or,  if  any  one 
spoke  at  all,  it  was  only  to  give  an  order  in  a  low  tone,  or 
its  answer  in  a  simple  monosyllable. 

Although  her  aunt  assured  her  that  everything  which  had 
been  done  already,  and  which  was  now  doing,  was  quite  in 
rule,  the  quick-eyed  and  quick-witted  Rose  noted  these  un 
usual  proceedings,  and  had  an  opinion  of  her  own  on  the 
subject.  Spike  had  gone  forward,  and  posted  himself  on  the 
weather-side  of  the  forecastle,  where  he  could  get  the  clear 
est  look  ahead,  and  there  he  remained  most  of  the  time, 
leaving  Mulford  on  the  quarter-deck,  to  work  the  vessel. 
Perceiving  this,  she  managed  to  get  near  the  mate,  without 
attracting  her  aunt's  attention,  and  at  the  same  time  out  of 
ear-shot. 

"  Why  is  everybody  so  still  and  seemingly  so  anxious, 
Harry  Mulford?"  she  asked,  speaking  in  a  low  tone  herself, 
as  if  desirous  of  conforming  to  a  common  necessity.  '<  Is 
there  any  new  danger  here?  I  thought  the  Gate  had  been 
passed  altogether,  some  hours  ago?" 

"  So  it  has.  D'ye  see  that  large  dark  mass  on  the  water, 
off  the  Point,  which  seems  almost  as  huge  as  the  fort,  with 
lights  above  it?  That  is  a  revenue-steamer  which  came  out 
of  York  a  few  hours  before  us.  We  wish  to  get  past  her 
without  being  troubled  by  any  of  her  questions." 

"  And  what  do  any  in  this  brig  care  about  her  questions? 
They  can  be  answered,  surely." 

"  Ay,  ay,  Rose — they  may  be  answered,  as  you  say,  but 
the  answers  sometimes  are  unsatisfactory.  Captain  Spike, 
5* 


54  JACK    TIER; 

for  some  reason  or  other,  is  uneasy,  and  would  rather  not 
have  anything  to  say  to  her.  He  has  the  greatest  aversion 
to  speaking  the  smallest  craft  when  on  a  coast." 

"  And  that 's  the  reason  he  has  undressed  his  Molly,  as 
he  calls  her,  that  he  might  not  be  known." 

Mulford  turned  his  head  quickly  toward  his  companion, 
as  if  surprised  by  her  quickness  of  apprehension,  but  he 
had  too  just  a  sense  of  his  duty  to  make  any  reply.  Instead 
of  pursuing  the  discourse,  he  adroitly  contrived  to  change 
it,  by  pointing  out  to  Rose  the  manner  in  which  they  were 
getting  on,  which  seemed  to  be  very  successfully. 

Although  'the  Swash  was  under  much  reduced  canvas, 
she  glided  along  with  great  ease  and  with  considerable  ra 
pidity  of  motion.  The  heavy  night  air  kept  her  canvas 
distended,  and  the  weatherly  set  of  the  tide,  trifling  as  it  yet 
was,  pressed  her  up  against  the  breeze,  so  as  to  turn  all  to 
account.  It  was  apparent  enough,  by  the  manner  in  which 
objects  on  the  land  were  passed,  that  the  crisis  was  fast  ap 
proaching.  Rose  rejoined  her  aunt,  in  order  to  await  the 
result,  in  nearly  breathless  expectation.  At  that  moment, 
she  would  have  given  the  world  to  be  safe  on  shore.  This 
wish  was  not  the  consequence  of  any  constitutional  timidity, 
for  Rose  was  much  the  reverse  from  timid,  but  it  was  the 
fruit  of  a  newly-awakened  and  painful,  though  still  vague, 
suspicion.  Happy,  thrice  happy  was  it  for  one  of  her  na 
turally  confiding  and  guileless  nature,  that  distrust  was  thus 
opportunely  awakened,  for  she  was  without  a  guardian  com 
petent  to  advise  and  guide  her  youth,  as  circumstances  re 
quired. 

The  brig  was  not  long  in  reaching  the  passage  that 
opened  to  the  Sound.  It  is  probable  she  did  this  so  much 
the  sooner  because  Spike  kept  her  a  little  off  the  wind,  with 
a  view  of  not  passing  too  near  the  steamer.  At  this  point, 
the  direction  of  the  passage  changes  at  nearly  a  right  angle, 
the  revenue-steamer  lying  on  a  line  with  the  Neck,  and 
leaving  a  sort  of  bay,  in  the  angle,  for  the  Swash  to  enter. 
The  land  was  somewhat  low  in  all  directions  but  one,  and 
that  was  by  drawing  a  straight  line  from  the  Point,  through 
the  steamer,  to  the  Long  Island  shore.  On  the  latter,  and 
in  that  quarter,  rose  a  bluff  of  considerable  elevation,  with 
deep  water  quite  near  it ;  and,  under  the  shadows  of  that 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  55 

bluff,  Spike  intended  to  perform  his  nicest  evolutions.  He 
saw  that  the  revenue  vessel  had  let  her  fires  go  down,  and 
that  she  was  entirely  without  steam.  Under  canvas,  he  had 
no  doubt  of  beating  her  hand  over  hand,  could  he  once  fairly 
get  to  windward;  and  then  she  was 'at  anchor,  and  would 
lose  some  time  in  getting  under  way,  should  she  even  com 
mence  a  pursuit.  It  was  all  important,  therefore,  to  gain  as 
much  to  windward  as  possible,  before  the  people  of  the 
government  vessel  took  the  alarm. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  alterations  made  on  board 
the  Swash  served  her  a  very  good  turn  on  this  occasion. 
Although  the  night  could  not  be  called  positively  dark,  there 
was  sufficient  obscurity  to  render  her  hull  confused  and  in 
distinct  at  any  distance,  and  this  so  much  the  more  when 
seen  from  the  steamer  outside,  or  between  her  and  the  land. 
All  this  Spike  very  well  understood,  and  largely  calculated 
on.  In  effect  he  was  not  deceived ;  the  look-outs  on  board 
the  revenue  craft  could  trace  little  of  the  vessel  that  was 
approaching  beyond  the  spars  and  sails  which  rose  above 
the  shores,  and  these  seemed  to  be  the  spars  and  sails  of  a 
common  foretopsail  schooner.  As  this  was  not  the  sort  of 
craft  for  which  they  were  on  the  watch,  no  suspicion  was 
awakened,  nor  did  any  reports  go  from  the  quarter-deck  to 
the  cabin.  The  steamer  had  her  quarter  watches,  and 
officers  of  the  deck,  like  a  vessel  of  war,  the  discipline  of 
which  was  fairly  enough  imitated,  but  even  a  man-of-war 
may  be  overreached  on  an  occasion. 

Spike  was  only  great  in  a  crisis,  and  then  merely  as  a 
seaman.  He  understood  his  calling  to  its  minutiae,  and  he 
understood  the  Molly  Swash  better  than  he  understood  any 
other  craft  that  floated.  For  more  than  twenty  years  had 
he  sailed  her,  and  the  careful  parent  does  not  better  under 
stand  the  humours  of  the  child,  than  he  understood  exactly 
what  might  be  expected  from  his  brig.  His  satisfaction 
sensibly  increased,  therefore,  as  she  stole  along  the  land, 
toward  the  angle  mentioned,  without  a  sound  audible  but  the 
gentle  gurgling  of  the  water,  stirred  by  the  stem,  and  which 
sounded  like  the  ripple  of  the  gentlest  wave,  as  it  washes 
the  shingle  of  some  placid  beach. 

As  the  brig  drew  nearer  to  the  bluff,  the  latter  brought 
the  wind  more  ahead,  as  respected  the  desired  course.  This 


56  JACK    TIER; 

was  unfavourable,  but  it  did  not  disconcert  her  watchful 
commander. 

"  Let  her  come  round,  Mr.  Mulford,"  said  this  pilot-cap 
tain,  in  a  low  voice — "  we  are  as  near  in  as  we  ought  to 
go." 

The  helm  was  put  down,  the  head  sheets  started,  and 
away  into  the  wind  shot  the  Molly  Swash,  fore-reaching  fa 
mously  in  stays,  and,  of  course,  gaining  so  much  on  her 
true  course.  In  a  minute  she  was  round,  and  filled  on  the 
other  tack.  Spike  was  now  so  near  the  land,  that  he  could 
perceive  the  tide  was  beginning  to  aid  him,  and  that  his  wea- 
therly  set  was  getting  to  be  considerable.  Delighted  at 
this,  he  walked  aft,  and  told  Mulford  to  go  about  again  as 
soon  as  the  vessel  had  sufficient  way  to  make  sure  of  her  in 
stays.  The  mate  inquired  if  he  did  not  think  the  revenue 
people  might  suspect  something,  unless  they  stood  further 
out  toward  mid-channel,  but  Spike  reminded  him  that  they 
would  be  apt  to  think  the  schooner  was  working  up  under 
the  southern  shore,  because  the  ebb  first  made  there.  This 
reason  satisfied  Mulford,  and,  as  soon  as  they  were  half-way 
between  the  bluff  and  the  steamer,  the  Swash  was  again 
tacked,  with  her  head  to  the  former.  This  manoeuvre  was 
executed  when  the  brig  was  about  two  hundred  yards  from 
the  steamer,  a  distance  that  was  sufficient  to  preserve,  under 
all  the  circumstances,  the  disguise  she  had  assumed. 

"  They  do  not  suspect  us,  Harry  !"  whispered  Spike  to 
his  mate.  "We  shall  get  to  windward  of  'em,  as  sartain 
as  the  breeze  stands.  That  boatin'  gentleman  might  as  well 
have  staid  at  home,  as  for  any  good  his  hurry  done  him  or 
his  employers !" 

"  Whom  do  you  suppose  him  to  be,  Captain  Spike  ?" 

"Who, —  a  feller  that  lives  by  his  own  wicked  deeds. 
No  matter  who  he  is.  An  informer,  perhaps.  At  any  rate, 
he  is  not  the  man  to  outwit  the  Molly  Swash,  and  her  old, 
stupid,  foolish  master  and  owner,  Stephen  Spike.  Luff,  Mr. 
Mulford,  luff.  Now  's  the  time  to  make  the  most  of  your 
leg — Luff  her  up  and  shake  her.  She  is  setting1  to  wind 
ward  fast,  the  ebb  is  sucking  along  that  bluff  like  a  boy  at 
a  molasses  hogshead.  All  she  can  drift  on  this  lack  is  clear 
gain ;  there  is  no  hurry,  so  long  as  they  are  asleep  aboard 
the  steamer.  That's  it — make  a  half-boar^  at  once,  but 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  57 

lake  care  and  not  come  round.  As  soon  as  we  are  fairly 
clear  of  the  bluff,  and  open  the  bay  that  makes  up  behind  it, 
we  shall  get  the  wind  more  to  the  southward,  and  have  a 
fine  long  leg  for  the  next  stretch." 

Of  course  Mulford  obeyed,  throwing  the  brig  up  into  the 
wind,  and  allowing  her  to  set  to  windward,  but  filling  again 
on  the  same  tack,  as  ordered.  This,  of  course,  delayed  her 
progress  toward  the  land,  and  protracted  the  agony,  but  it 
carried  the  vessel  in  the  direction  she  most  wished  to  go, 
while  it  kept  her  not  only  end  on  to  the  steamer,  but  in  a 
line  with  the  bluff,  and  consequently  in  the  position  most  fa 
vourable  to  conceal  her  true  character.  Presently,  the  bay 
mentioned,  which  was  several  miles  deep,  opened  darkly  to 
ward  the  south,  and  the  wind  came  directly  out  of  it,  or 
more  to  the  southward.  At  this  moment  the  Swash  was 
near  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  steamer,  and  all  that  dis 
tance  dead  to  windward  of  her,  as  the  breeze  came  out  of 
the  bay.  Spike  tacked  his  vessel  himself  now,  and  got  her 
head  up  so  high  that  she  brought  the  steamer  on  her  lee 
quarter,  and  looked  away  toward  the  island  which  lies  north 
wardly  from  the  Point,  and  quite  near  to  which  all  vessels 
of  any  draught  of  water  are  compelled  to  pass,  even  with 
the  fairest  winds. 

"  Shake  the  reef  out  of  the  mainsail,  Mr.  Mulford,"  said 

*  Spike,' when  the  Swash  was  fairly  in  motion  again  on  this 

advantageous  tack.     "  We  shall  pass  well  to  windward  of 

the   steamer,  and    may  as  well    begin   to  open   our  cloth 

again." 

"  Is  it  not  a  little  too  soon,  sir?"  Mulford  ventured  to  re 
monstrate  ;  "  the  reef  is  a  large  one,  and  will  make  a  great 
difference  in  the  size  of  the  sail." 

"  They  '11  not  see  it  at  this  distance.  No,  no,  sir,  shake 
out  the  reef,  and  sway  away  on  the  topgallant-mast  rope; 
I  'm  for  bringing  the  Molly  Swash  into  her  old  shape  again, 
and  make  her  look  handsome  once  more." 

"  Do  you  dress  the  bri^,  as  well  as  undress  her,  o' nights, 
Captain  Spike?"  inquired  the  ship-master's  relict,  a  little 
puzzled  with  this  fickleness  of  purpose.  "  I  do  not  believe 
my  poor  Mr.  Budd  ever  did  that." 

"  Fashions  change,  madam,  with  the  times — ay,  ay,  sir 
• — shake  out  ihe  reef,  and  sway  away  on  that  mast-rope, 


58  JACK    TIER; 

boys,  as  soon  as  you  have  manned  it.     We'll  convart  our 
schooner  into  a  brig  again." 

As  these  orders  were  obeyed,  of  course,  a  general  bustle 
now  took  place.  Mulford  soon  had  the  reef  out,  and  the 
sail  distended  to  the  utmost,  while  the  topgallant-mast  was 
soon  up  and  fidded.  The  next  thing  was  to  sway  upon  the 
fore-yard,  and  get  that  into  its  place.  The  people  were 
busied  at  this  duty,  when  a  hoarse  haij  came  across  the 
water  on  the  heavy  night  air. 
"Brig  ahoy  !"  was  the  call. 

"  Sway  upon  that  fore-yard,"  said  Spike,  unmoved  by 
this  summons — "  start  it,  start  it  at  once." 
"  The  steamer  hails  us,  sir,"  said  the  mate. 
"  Not  she.     She  is  hailing  a  brig ;  we  are  a  schooner 
yet." 

A  moment  of  active  exertion  succeeded,  during  which  the 
fore-yard  went  into  its  place.     Then  came  a  second  hail. 
"  Schooner,  ahoy  !"  was  the  summons  this  time. 
"  The  steamer  hails  us  again,  Captain  Spike." 
"The  devil  a  bit.     We're  a  brig  now,  and  she  hails  a 
schooner.     Come  boys,  bestir  yourselves,  and  get  the  can 
vas  on  Molly  for'ard.     Loose  the  fore-course  before  you  quit 
the  yard  there,  then  up  aloft  and  loosen  everything  you  can 
find." 

All  was  done  as  ordered,  and  done  rapidly,  as  is  ever  the 
case  on  board  a  well-ordered  vessel  when  there  is  occasion 
for  exertion.  That  occasion  now  appeared  to  exist  in  ear 
nest,  for  while  the  men  were  sheeting  home  the  topsail,  a 
flash  of  light  illuminated  the  scene,  when  the  roar  of  a  gun 
came  booming  across  the  water,  succeeded  by  the  very  dis 
tinct  whistling  of  its  shot.  We  regret  that  the  relict  of  the 
late  Captain  Budd  did  not  behave  exactly  as  became  a  ship 
master's  widow,  under  fire.  Instead  of  remaining  silent  and 
passive,  even  while  frightened,  as  was  the  case  with  Rose, 
she  screamed  quite  as  loud  as  she  had  previously  done  that 
very  day  in  Hell-Gate.  It  appeared  to  Spiko,  indeed,  that 
practice  was  making  her  perfect;  and,  as  for  Bidd}',  the 
spirit  of  emulation  became  so  powerful  in  her  bosom,  that, 
if  anything,  she  actually  outshrieked  her  mistress.  Hear 
ing  this,  the  widow  made  a  second  effort,  and  fairly  reco 
vered  the  ground  some  might  have  fancied  she  had  lost. 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     R  E  E  P.  59 

"  Oh  !  Captain  Spike,"  exclaimed  the  agitated  widow, 
"  do  not  —  do  not,  if  you  love  me,  do  not  let  them  fire 
again  !" 

"  How  am  I  to  help  it !"  asked  the  captain,  a  good  deal  ta 
the  point,  though  he  overlooked  the  essential  fact,  that,  by 
heaving-to,  and  waiting  for  the  steamer's  boat  to  board  him, 
he  might  have  prevented  a  second  shot,  as  completely  as  if 
he  had  the  ordering  of  the  whole  affair.  No  second  shot 
was  fired,  however.  As  it  afterward  appeared,  the  screams 
of  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy  were  heard  on  board  the  steamer, 
the  captain  of  which,  naturally  enough,  supposing  that  the 
slaughter  must  be  terrible  where  such  cries  had  arisen,  was 
satisfied  with  the  mischief  he  had  already  done,  and  directed 
his  people  to  secure  their  gun  and  go  to  the  capstan-bars,  in 
order  to  help  lift  the  anchor.  In  a  word,  the  revenue  vessel 
was  getting  under  way,  man-of-war  fashion,  which  means 
somewhat  expeditiously. 

Spike  understood  the  sounds  that  reached  him,  among 
which  was  the  call  of  the  boatswain,  and  he  bestirred  him 
self  accordingly.  Experienced  as  he  was  in  chases  and  all 
sorts  of  nautical  artifices,  he  very  well  knew  that  his  situa 
tion  was  sufficiently  critical.  It  would  have  been  so,  with 
a  steamer  at  his  heels,  in  tho  open  ocean ;  but,  situated  as 
he  was,  he  was  compelled  to  steer  but  one  course,  and  to 
accept  the  wind  on  that  course  as  it  might  offer.  If  he 
varied  at  all  in  his  direction  it  was  only  in  a  trifling  way, 
though  he  did  make  some  of  these  variations.  Every 
moment  was  now  precious,  however,  and  he  endeavoured  to 
improve  the  time  to  the  utmost.  He  knew  that  he  could 
greatly  outsail  the  revenue  vessel,  under  canvas,  and  some 
time  would  be  necessary  to  enable  her  to  get  up  her  steam ; 
half  an  hour  at  the  very  least.  On  that  half  hour,  then, 
depended  the  fate  of  the  Molly  Swash. 

"  Send  the  booms  on  the  yards,  and  set  stun'sails  at  once, 
Mr.  Mulford,"  said  Spike,  the  instant  the  more  regular  can 
vas  was  spread  forward.  "  This  wind  will  be  free  enough 
for  all  but  the  lower  stun'sail,  and  we  must  drive  the  brig 
on." 

"  Are  we  not  looking  up  too  high,  Captain  Spike?  The 
Siepping-Stones  are  ahead  of  us;  sir." 

'•  I  know  that  very  well,  Mulford.     But  it's  nearly  high 


60  JACK   TIER; 

water,  and  the  brig's  in  light  trim,  and  we  may  rub  and  go. 
By  making  a  short  cut  here,  we  shall  gain  a  full  mile  on 
the  steamer  ;  that  mile  may  save  us." 

"  Do- you  really  think  it  possible  to  get  away  from  that 
craft,  which  can  always  make  a  fair  wind  of  it,  in  these 
narrow  waters,  Captain  Spike?" 

"  One  don't  know,  sir.  Nothin'  is  done  without  tryin', 
and  by  tryin'  more  is  often  done  than  was  hoped  for.  I 
have  a  scheme  in  my  head,  and  Providence  may  favour  me 
in  bringing  it  about." 

Providence  !  The  religionist  quarrels  with  the  philoso 
pher  if  the  latter  happen  to  remove  this  interposition  of  a 
higher  power,  even  so  triflingly  as  by  the  intervention  of 
secondary  agencies,  while  the  biggest  rascal  dignifies  even 
his  success  by  such  phrases  as  Providential  aid  !  But  it  is 
not  surprising  men  should  misunderstand  terms,  when  they 
make  such  sad  confusion  in  the  acts  which  these  terms  are 
merely  meant  to  represent.  Spike  had  his  Providence  as 
well  as  a  priest,  and  we  dare  say  he  often  counted  on  its 
succour,  with  quite  as  rational  grounds  of  dependence  as 
many  of  the  pharisees  who  are  constantly  exclaiming, 
"  The  Temple  of  the  Lord,  the  Temple  of  the  Lord  are 
these." 

Sail  was  made  on  board  the  Swash  with  great  rapidity, 
and  the  brig  made  a  bold  push  at  the  Stepping-Stones. 
Spike  was  a  capital  pilot.  He  insisted  if  he  could  once  gain 
sight  of  the  spar  that  was  moored  on  those  rocks  for  a 
buoy,  he  should  run  with  great  confidence.  The  two  lights 
were  of  great  assistance,  of  course ;  but  the  revenue  vessel 
could  see  these  lights  as  well  as  the  brig,  and  she,  doubtless, 
had  an  excellent  pilot  on  board.  By  the  time  the  studding- 
sails  were  set  on  board  the  Swash,  the  steamer  was  aweigh, 
and  her  long  line  of  peculiar  sails  became  visible.  Un 
fortunately  for  men  who  were  in  a  hurry,  she  lay  so  much 
within  the  bluff  as  to  get  the  wind  scant,  and  her  commander 
thought  it  necessary  to  make  a  stretch  over  to  the  southern 
shore,  before  he  attempted  to  lay  his  course.  When  he 
was  ready  to  tack,  an  operation  of  some  time  with  a  vessel 
of  her  great  length,  the  Swash  was  barely  visible  in  the  ob 
scurity,  gliding  off  upon  a  slack  bowline,  at  a  rate  which 
.nothing  but  the  damp  night  air,  the  ballast-trim  of  the  vessel, 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  61 

united  to  her  excellent  sailing  qualities,  could  have  produced 
with  so  light  a  breeze. 

The  first  half  hour  took  the  Swash  completely  out  of  sight 
of  the  steamer.  In  that  time,  in  truth,  by  actual  superiority 
in  sailing,  by  her  greater  state  of  preparation,  and  by  the 
distance  saved  by  a  bold  navigation,  she  had  gained  fully  a 
league  on  her  pursuer.  But,  while  the  steamer  had  lost  sight 
of  the  Swash,  the  latter  kept  the  former  in  view,  and  that 
by  means  of  a  signal  that  was  very  portentous.  She  saw 
the  light  of  the  steamer's  chimneys,  and  could  form  some 
opinion  of  her  distance  and  position. 

It  was  about  eleven  o'clock  when  the  Swash  passed  the 
light  at  Sands'  Point,  close  in  with  the  land.  The  wind 
stood  much  as  it  had  been.  If  there  was  a  change  at  all, 
it  was  half  a  point  more  to  the  southward,  and  it  was  a  little 
fresher.  Such  as  it  was,  Spike  saw  he  was  getting,  in  that 
smooth  water,  quite  eight  knots  out  of  his  craft,  and  he  made 
his  calculations  thereon.  As  yet,  and  possibly  for  half  an 
hour  longer,  he  was  gaining,  and  might  hope  to  continue  to 
gain  on  the  steamer.  Then  her  turn  would  come.  Though 
no  great  traveller,  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that,  favoured 
by  smooth  water  and  the  breeze,  her  speed  would  be  less 
than  ten  knots,  while  there  was  no  hope  of  increasing  his 
own  without  an  increase  of  the  wind.  He  might  be  five 
miles  in  advance,  or  six  at  the  most ;  these  six  miles  would 
be  overcome  in  three  hours  of  steaming,  to  a  dead  certainty, 
and  they  might  possibly  be  overcome  much  sooner.  It  was 
obviously  necessary  to  resort  to  some  other  experiment  than 
that  of  dead  sailing,  if  an  escape  was  to  be  effected. 

The  Sound  was  now  several  miles  in  width,  and  Spike, 
at  first,  proposed  to  his  mate,  to  keep  off  dead  before  the 
wind,  and  by  crossing  over  to  the  north  shore,  let  the 
steamer  pass  ahead,  and  continue  a  bootless  chase  to  the 
eastward.  Several  vessels,  however,  were  visible  in  the 
middle  of  the  passage,  at  distances  varying  from  one  to 
three  miles,  and  Mulford  pointed  out  the  hopelessness  of 
attempting  to  cross  the  sheet  of  open  water,  and  expect 
to  go  unseen  by  the  watchful  eyes  of  the  revenue  people. 

"  What  you  say  is  true  enough,  Mr.  Mulford,"  answered 
Spike,  after  a  moment  of  profound  reflection,  "  and  every 
foot  that  they  come  nearer,  the  less  will  be  our  chance. 

VOL.  I.  — 6 


,         .  -          -*-  .-     — -  — . --, 

62  JACK    TIER; 

But  here  is  Hempstead  Harbour  a  few  leagues  ahead  ;  if  we 
can  reach  that  before  the  blackguards  close,  we  may  do  well 
enough.  _  It  is  a  deep  bay,  and  has  high  land  to  darken  the 
view.  I  don't  think  the  brig  could  be  seen  at  midnight  by 
anything  outside,  if  she  was  once  fairly  up  that  water  a  mile 
or  two." 

"  That  is  our  chance,  sir  !"  exclaimed  Mulford  cheerfully. 
"  Ay,  ay,  I  know  the  spot,  and  everything  is  favourable  — 
try  that,  Captain  Spike  ;  I'll  answer  for  it  that  we  go  clear." 

Spike  did  try  it.  For  a  considerable  time  longer  he  stood 
on,  keeping  as  close  to  the  land  as  he  thought  it  safe  to  run, 
and  carrying  everything  that  would  draw.  But  the  steamer 
was  on  his  heels,  evidently  gaining  fast.  Her  chimneys 
gave  out  flames,  and  there  was  every  sign  that  her  people 
were  in  earnest.  To  those  on  board  the  Swash  these  flames 
seemed  to  draw  nearer  each  instant,  as  indeed  was  the  fact, 
and  just  as  the  breeze  came  fresher  out  of  the  f  opening  in 
the  hills,  or  the  low  mountains,  which  surround  the  place 
of  refuge  in  which  they  designed  to  enter,  Mulford  announced 
that  by  aid  of  the  night-glass  he  could  distinguish  both  sails 
and  hull  of  their  pursuer.  Spike  took  a  look,  and  throwing 
down  the  instrument,  in  a  way  to  endanger  it,  he  ordered 
the  studding-sails  taken  in.  The  men  went  aloft  like  cats, 
and  worked  as  if  they  could  stand  in  air.  In  a  minute  or 
two  the  Swash  was  under  what  Mrs.  Budd  might  have  called 
her  "  attacking  "  canvas,  and  was  close  by  the  wind,  look 
ing  on  a  good  leg  well  up  the  harbour.  The  brig  seemed  to 
be  conscious  of  the  emergency,  and  glided  ahead  at  capital 
speed.  In  five  minutes  she  had  shut  in  the  flaming  chim 
neys  of  the  steamer.  In  five  minutes  more  Spike  tacked, 
to  keep  under  the  western  side  of  the  harbour,  and  out  of 
sight  as  long  as  possible,  and  because  he  thought  the  breeze 
drew  down  fresher  where  he  was  than  more  out  in  the 
bay. 

All  now  depended  on  the  single  fact  whether  the  brig  had 
been  seen  from  the  steamer  or  not,  before  she  hauled  into 
the  bay.  If  seen,  she  had  probably  been  watched  ;  if  not 
seen,  there  were  strong  grounds  for  hoping  that  she  might 
still  escape.  About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  Spike  hauled 
up,  the  burning  chimneys  came  again  into  view.  The  brig 
was  then  half  a  league  within  the  bay,  with  a  fine  dark  back- 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  63 

ground  of  hills  to  throw  her  into  shadow.  Spike  ordered 
everything  taken  in  but  the  trysail,  under  which  the  brig 
was  left  to  set  slowly  over  toward  the  western  side  of  the 
harbour.  He  now  rubbed  his  hands  with  delight,  and 
pointed  out  to  Mulford  the  circumstance  that  the  steamer 
kept  on  her  course  directly  athwart  the  harbour's  mouth  ! 
Had  she  seen  the  Swash,  no  doubt  she  would  have  turned 
into  the  bay  also.  Nevertheless,  an  anxious  ten  minutes 
succeeded,  during  which  the  revenue  vessel  steamed  fairly 
past,  and  shut  in  her  flaming  chimneys  again  by  the  eastern 
headlands  of  the  estuary. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  western  wave  was  all  a  flame, 
The  day  was  well  nigh  done, 
Almost  upon  the  western  wave 
Rested  the  broad  bright  sun  ; 
When  that  strange  ship  drove  suddenly 
Betwixt  us  and  the  sun. 

The.  Ancient  Mariner. 


AT  that  hour,  on  the  succeeding  morning,  when  the  light 
of  day  is  just  beginning  to  chase  away  the  shadows  of  night, 
the  Molly  Swash  became  visible  within  the  gloorn  of  the  high 
land  which  surrounds  so  much  of  the  bay  of  Hempstead, 
under  easy  sail,  backing  and  filling,  in 'order  to  keep  within 
her  hiding-place,  until  a  look  could  be  had  at  the  state  of 
things  without.  Half  an  hour  later,  she  was  so  near  the 
entrance  of  the  estuary,  as  to  enable  the  look-outs  aloft  to 
ascertain  that  the  coast  was  clear,  when  Spike  ordered  the 
helm  to  be  put  up,  and  the  brig  to  be  kept  away  to  her 
course.  At  this  precise  moment,  Rose  appeared  on  deck, 
refreshed  by  the  sleep  of  a  quiet  night,  and  with  cheeks 
tinged  with  a  colour  even  more  delicate  than  that  which  was 
nov/  glowing  in  the  eastern  sky,  and  which  was  almost  as 
brilliant. 


64  JACK    TIER; 

"  We  stopped  in  this  bit  of  a  harbour  for  the  night,  Miss 
Rose,  that  is  all ;"  said  Spike,  observing  that  his  fair  pas 
senger  was  looking  about  her,  in  some  little  surprise,  at 
finding  the  vessel  so  near  the  land,  and  seemingly  so  much 
out  of  her  proper  position.  "  Yes,  we  always  do  that,  when 
we  first  start  on  a  v'y'ge,  and  before  the  brig  gets  used  to 
travelling — don't  we,  Mr.  Mulford?" 

Mr.  Mulford,  who  knew  how  hopeless  was  the  attempt  to 
mystify  Rose,  as  one  might  mystify  her  credulous  and  weak- 
minded  aunt,  and  who  had  no  disposition  to  deal  any  way 
but  fairly  by  the  beautiful,  and  in  one  sense  now  helpless 
young  creature  before  him,  did  not  see  fit  to  make  any  reply. 
Offend  Spike  he  did  not  dare  to  do,  more  especially  under 
present  circumstances ;  and  mislead  Rose  he  would  not  do. 
He  affected  not  to  hear  the  question,  therefore,  but  issuing 
an  order  about  the  head-sails,  he  walked  forward  as  if  to  see 
it  executed.  Rose  herself  was  not  under  as  much  restraint 
as  the  young  mate. 

"  It  is  convenient,  Captain  Spike,"  she  coolly  answered 
for  Mulford;  "  to  have  stopping-places,  for  vessels  that  are 
wearied,  and  I  remember  the  time  when  rny  uncle  used  to 
tell  me  of  such  matters,  very  much  in  the  same  vein  ;  but,  it 
was  before  I  was  twelve  years  old." 

Spike  hemmed,  and  he  looked  a  little  foolish,  but  Clench, 
the  boatswain,  coming  aft  to  say  something  to  him  in  confi 
dence,  just  at  that  moment,  he  was  enabled  to  avoid  the 
awkwardness  of  attempting  to  explain.  This  man  Clench, 
or  Clinch,  as  the  name  was  pronounced,  was  deep  in  the 
captain's  secrets  ;  far  more  so  than  was  his  mate,  and  would 
have  been  filling  Mulford's  station  at  that  very  time,  had  he 
not  been  hopelessly  ignorant  of  navigation.  On  the  present 
occasion,  his  business  was  to  point  out  to  the  captain,  two 
or  three  lines  of  smoke,  that  were  visible  above  the  water 
of  the  Sound,  in  the  eastern  board  ;  one  of  which  he  was 
apprehensive  might  turn  out  to  be  the  smoke  of  the  revenue 
craft,  from  which  they  had  so  recently  escaped. 

"  Steamers  are  no  rarities  in  Long  Island  Sound,  Clench," 
observed  the  captain,  levelling  his  glass  at  the  most  sus 
pected  of  the  smokes.  "  That  must  be  a  Providence,  or 
Stonington  chap,  coming  west  with  the  Boston  train." 

"Either  of  them  would  have  been  further  west,  by  this 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  65 

time,  Captain  Spike,"  returned  the  doubting,  but  watchful 
boatswain.  "It's  a  large  smoke,  and  I  fear  it  is  the  reve 
nue  fellow  coming  back,  after  having  had  a  look  well  to  the 
eastward,  and  satisfying  himself  that  we  are  not  to  be  had 
in  that  quarter." 

Spike  growled  out  his  assent  to  the  possibility  of  such  a 
conjecture,  and  promised  vigilance.  This  satisfied  his  sub 
ordinate  for  the  moment,  and  he  walked  forward,  or  to  the 
place  where  he  belonged.  In  the  mean  time,  the  widow 
came  on  deck,  smiling,  and  snuffing  the  salt  air,  and  ready 
to  be  delighted  with  anything  that  was  maritime. 

"  Good  morning,  Captain  Spike,"  she  cried — "  Are  we  in 
the  offing,  yet? — you  know  I  desired  to  be  told  when  we  are 
in  the  offing,  for  I  intend  to  write  a  letter  to  my  poor  Mr. 
Budd's  sister,  Mrs.  Sprague,  as  soon  as  we  get  to  the  offing." 

"  What  -is  the  offing,  aunt  ?"  inquired  the  handsome 
niece. 

"  Why  you  have  hardly  been  at  sea  long  enough  to  under 
stand  me,  child,  should  I  attempt  to  explain.  The  offing, 
however,  is  the  place  where  the  last  letters  are  always  writ 
ten  to  the  owners,  and  to  friends  ashore.  The  term  comes, 
I  suppose,  from  the  circumstance  that  the  vessel  is  about  to 
be  off,  and  it  is  natural  to  think  of  those  we  leave  behind, 
at  such  a  moment.  I  intend  to  write  to  your  aunt  Sprague, 
my  dear,  the  instant  1  hear  we  are  in  the  offing ;  and  what 
is  more,  I  intend  to  make  you  my  amanuensis." 

"  But  how  will  the  letter  be  sent,  aunty? — I  have  no  more 
objections  to  writing  than  any  one  else,  but  I  do  not  see  how 
the  letter  is  to  be  sent.  Really,  the  sea  is  a  curious  region, 
with  its  stopping-places  for  the  night,  and  its  offings  to  write 
letters  at !" 

"Yes,  it's  all  as  you  say,  Rose  —  a  most  remarkable 
region  is  the  sea!  You'll  admire  it,  as  I  admire  it,  when 
you  come  to  know  it  better;  and  as  your  poor  uncle  admired 
it,  and  as  Captain  Spike  admires  it,  too.  As  for  the  letters, 
they  can  be  sent  ashore  by  the  pilot,  as  letters  are  always 
sent." 

"  But,  aunty,  there  is  no  pilot  in  the  Swash — for  Captain 
Spike  refused  to  take  one  on  board." 

"Rose!  —  you  don't  understand  what  you  are  talking 
about !  No  vessel  ever  yet  sailed  without  a  pilot,  if  indeed 
6* 


6G  JACKTIER; 

any  can.  It's  opposed  to  the  law,  not  to  have  a  pilot ;  and 
now  I  remember  to  have  heard  your  dear  uncle  say  it  wasn't 
a  voyage  if  a  vessel  didn't  take  away  a  pilot." 

"  But  if  they  lake  them  away,  aunty,  how  can  they  send 
the  letters  ashore  by  them?" 

"  Poh  !  poh  !  child  ;  you  don't  know  what  you  're  saying ; 
but  you  '11  overlook  it,  I  hope.  Captain  Spike,  for  Rose  is 
quick,  and  will  soon  learn  to  know  better.  As  if  letters 
couldn't  be  sent  ashore  by  the  pilot,  though  he  was  a  hun 
dred  thousand  miles  from  land  !  But,  Captain  Spike,  you 
must  let  me  know  when  we  are  about  to  get  off  the  Sound, 
for  I  know  that  the  pilot  is  always  sent  ashore  with  his  let 
ters,  before  the  vessel  gets  off  the  Sound." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  returned  the  captain,  a  little  mystified  by 
the  widow,  though  he  knew  her  so  well,  and  understood  her 
so  well — "  you  shall  know,  ma'am,  when  we  get  off  sound 
ings,  for  I  suppose  that  is  what  you  mean." 

"What  is  the  difference?  Off  the  Sound,  or  off  the 
soundings,  of  course,  must  mean  the  same  thing.  But, 
Rosy,  we  will  go  below  and  write  to  your  aunt  at  once,  for 
I  see  a  light-house  yonder,  and  light-houses  are  always  put 
just  off  the  soundings." 

Rose,  who  always  suspected  her  aunt's  nautical  talk, 
though  she  did  not  know  how  to  correct  it,  and  was  not 
sorry  to  put  an  end  to  it,  now,  by  going  below,  and  spread 
ing  her  own  writing  materials,  in  readiness  to  write,  as  the 
other  dictated.  Biddy  Noon  was  present,  sewing  on  some 
of  her  own  finery. 

"  Now  write,  as  I  tell  you,  Rose,"  commenced  the  widow — 

"  My  dear  sister  Sprague — Here  we  are,  at  last,  just  off 
the  soundings,  with  light-houses  all  found  us,  and  so  many 
capes  and  islands  in  sight,  that  it  does  seem  as  if  the  vessel 
never  could  find  its  way  through  them  all.  Some  of  these 
islands  must  be  the  West  Indies" — 

"  Aunty,  that  can  never  be  !"  exclaimed  Rose — "  we  left 
New  York  only  yesterday." 

"What  of  that?  Had  it  been  old  times,  I  grant  you 
several  days  might  be  necessary  to  get  a  sight  of  the  West 
Indies,  but,  now,  when  a  letter  can  be  written  to  a  friend  in 
Boston,  and  an  answer  received  in  half  an  hour,  it  requires 
no  such  time  to  go  to  the  West  Indies.  Besides,  what  other 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  67 

islands  are  there  in  this  part  of  ihe  world? — they  can'l  be 
England—" 

"  No — no,"— said  Rose,  at  once  seeing  it  would  be  pre 
ferable  to  admit  they  were  the  West  Indies ;  so  the  letter 
went  on : — 

"  Some  of  these  islands  must  be  the  West  Indies,  and  it 
is  high  time  we  saw  some  of  them,  for  we  are  nearly  off 
the  Sound,  and  the  light-houses  are  getting  to  be  quito 
numerous.  I  think  we  have  already  seen  four  since  we  left 
the  wharf.  But,  my  dear  sister  Sprague,  you  will  be  de 
lighted  to  hear  how  much  belter  Rose's  health  is  already 
becoming — " 

"  My  health,  aunty  I  Why,  I  never  knew  an  ill  day  in 
my  life !" 

"Don't  tell  me  that,  my  darling;  I  know  too  well  what 
all  these  deceptive  appearances  of  health  amount  to.  I 
would  not  alarm  you  for  the  world,  Rosy  dear,  but  a  careful 
parent — and  I  'm  your  parent  in  affection,  if  not  by  nature — 
but  a  careful  parent's  eye  is  not  to  be  deceived.  I  know 
you  look  weli,  but  you  are  ill,  my  child  ;  though,  Heaven 
be  praised,  the  sea  air  and. hydropathy  are  already  doing 
you  a  monstrous  deal  of  good." 

As  Mrs.  Budd  concluded,  she  wiped  her  eyes,  and  ap 
peared  really  glad  that  her  niece  had  a  less  consumptive 
look  than  when  she  embarked.  Rose  sat,  gazing  at  her 
aunt,  in  mute  astonishment.  She  knew  how  much  and 
truly  she  was  beloved,  and  that  induced  her  to  be  more 
tolerant  of  her  connection's  foibles  than  even  duty  demanded. 
Feeling  was  blended  with  her  respect,  but  it  was  almost  too 
much  for  her,  to  learn  that  this  long,  and  in  some  respects 
painful  voyage,  was  undertaken  on  her  account,  and  without 
the  smallest  necessity  for  it.  The  vexation,  however,  would 
have  been  largely  increased,  but  for  certain  free  communi 
cations  that  had  occasionally  occurred  between  her  and  the 
handsome  mate,  since  the  moment  of  her  coming  on  board 
the  brig.  Rose  knew  that  Harry  Mulford  loved  her,  too, 
for  he  had  told  her  as  much  with  a  seaman's  frankness; 
and  though  she  had  never  let  him  know  that  his  partiality 
was  returned,  her  woman's  heart  was  fast  inclining  toward 
him,  with  all  her  sex's  tenderness.  This  made  the  mistake 


68  JACK    TIER; 

of  her  aunt  tolerable^  though  Rose  was  exceedingly  vexed 
it  should  ever  have  occurred. 

"Why,  my  dearest  aunt,"  she  cried,  "they  told  me  it 
was  on  your  account  that  this  voyage  was  undertaken  !" 

"  I  know  they  did,  poor,  dear  Rosy,  and  that  was  in  order 
not  to  alarm  you.  Some  persons  of  delicate  constitutions — " 

"But  my  constitution  is  not  in  the  least  delicate,  aunt; 
on  the  contrary,  it  is  as  good  as  possible ;  a  blessing  for 
which,  I  trust,  I  am  truly  grateful.  I  did  not  know  but  you 
might  be  suffering,  though  you  do  look  so  well,  for  they  all 
agreed  in  telling  me  you  had  need  of  a  sea-voyage." 

"I,  a  subject  for  hydropathy  !  Why,  child,  water  is  no 
more  necessary  to  me  than  it  is  to  a  cat." 

"  But  going  to  sea,  aunty,  is  not  hydropathy — " 

"  Don't  say  that,  Rosy  ;  do  not  say  that,  my  dear.  It  is 
hydropathy  on  a  large  scale,  as  Captain  Spike  says ;  and 
when  he  gets  us  into  blue  water,  he  has  promised  that  you 
shall  have  all  the  benefits  of  the  treatment." 

Rose  was  silent  and  thoughtful ;  after  which  she  spoke 
quickly,  like  one  to  whom  an  important  thought  had  sud 
denly  occurred. 

"  And  Captain  Spike,  then,  was  consulted  in  my  case?" 
she  asked. 

"  He  was,  my  dear,  and  you  have  every  reason  to  be 
grateful  to  him.  He  was  the  first  to  discover  a  change  in 
your  appearance,  and  to  sugg63st  a  sea  voyage.  Marine 
Hydropathy,  he  said,  he  was  sure  would  get  you  up  again  ; 
for  Captain  Spike  thinks  your  constitution  good  at  the  bottom, 
though  the  high  colour  you  have  proves  too  high  a  state  of 
habitual  excitement." 

"  VVas  Dr.  Monson  consulted  at  all,  aunt?" 

"  Not  at  all.  You  know  the  doctors  are  all  against  hy 
dropathy,  and  mesmerism,  and  the  magnetic  telegraph,  and 
everything  that  is  new;  so  we  thought  it  best  not  to  consult 
him." 

"  And  my  aunt  Sprague?" 

"Yes,  she  was  consulted  after  everything  was  settled,  and 
when  I  knew  her  notions  could  not  undo  what  had  been 
already  done.  But  she  is  a  seaman's  widow,  as  well  as 
myself,  and  has  a  great  notion  of  the  virtue  of  sea  air." 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  69 

"  Then  it  would  seem  that  Doctor  Spike  was  the  prin 
cipal  adviser  in  my  case  !" 

"  I  own  that  he  was,  Rosy  dear.  Captain  Spike  was 
brought  up  by  your  uncle,  who  has  often  told  me  what  a 
thorough  seaman  he  was.  'There's  Spike,  now,'  he  said 
to  me  one  day,  'he  can  almost  make  his  brig  talk' — this 
very  brig  too,  your  uncle  mean£,  Rosy,  and,  of  course,  one 
of  the  best  vessels  in  the  world  to  take  hydropathy  in." 

"  Yes,  aunty,"  returned  Rose,  playing  with  the  pen,  while 
her  air  proved  how  little  her  mind  was  in  her  words. 
"  Well,  what  shall  I  say  next  to  my  aunt  Sprague?" 

"  Rose's  health  is  already  becoming  confirmed"  resumed 
the  widow,  who  thought  it  best  to  encourage  her  niece  by 
as  strong  terms  as  she  could  employ,  "  and  I  shall  extol 
hydropathy  to  the  skies,  as  long  as  I  live.  As  soon  as  we 
reach  our  port  of  destination,  my  dear  sister  Sprague,  I 
shall  write  you  a  line  to  let  you  know  it,  by  the  magnetic 
telegraph — " 

"  But  there  is  no  magnetic  telegraph  on  the  sea,  aunty," 
interrupted  Rose,  looking  up  from  the  paper,  with  her  clear, 
serene,  blue  eyes,  expressing  even  her  surprise,  at  this  touch 
of  the  relict's  ignorance. 

"  Don't  tell  me  that,  Rosy,  child,  when  everybody  says 
the  sparks  will  fly  round  the  whole  earth,  just  as  soon  as 
they  will  fly  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia." 

"  But  they  must  have  something  to  fly  on,  aunty ;  and 
the  ocean  will  not  sustain  wires,  or  posts." 

"  Well,  there  is  no  need  of  being  so  particular ;  if  there 
is  no  telegraph,  the  letter  must  come  by  mail.  You  can  say 
telegraph,  here,  and  when  your  aunt  gets  the  letter,  the  post 
mark  will  tell  her  how  it  came.  It  looks  better  to  talk 
about  telegraphic  communications,  child." 

Rose  resumed  her  pen,  and  wrote  at  her  aunt's  dictation, 
as  follows  : — "  By  the  magnetic  telegraph,  when  I  hope  to 
be  able  to  tell  you  that  our  dear  Rose  is  well.  As  yet,  we 
both  enjoy  the  ocean  exceedingly ;  but  when  we  get  off  the 
Sound,  into  blue  water,  and  have  sent  the  pilot  ashore,  or 
discharged  him,  I  ought  to  say,  which  puts  me  in  mind  of 
telling  you  that  a  cannon  was  discharged  at  us  only  last 
night,  and  that  the  ball  whistled  so  near  me,  that  I  heard  it 
as  plain  as  ever  you  heard  Rose's  piano." 


70  JACK   TIER; 

"  Had  I  not  better  first  tell  my  aunt  Sprague  what  is  to 
be  done  when  the  pilot  is  discharged?" 

"No;  tell  her  about  the  cannon  that  was  discharged, 
first,  and  about  the  ball  that  I  heard.  I  had  almost  forgot 
that  adventure,  which  was  a  very  remarkable  one,  was  it 
not,  Biddy?" 

"  Indeed,  Missus,  and  it  was !  and  Miss  Rose  might  put 
in  the  letter  how  we  both  screamed  at  that  cannon,  and 
might  have  been  heard  as  plainly,  every  bit  of  it,  as  the 
ball." 

"  Say  nothing  on  the  subject,  Rose,  or  we  shall  never 
hear  the  last  of  it.  So,  darling,  you  may  conclude  in  your 
own  way,  for  I  believe  I  have  told  your  aunt  all  that  cornea 
to  mind." 

Rose  did  as  desired,  finishing  the  epistle  in  a  very  few 
words,  for,  rightly  enough,  she  had  taken  it  into  her  head 
there  was  no  pilot  to  be  discharged,  and  consequently  that  the 
letter  would  never  be  sent.  Her  short  but  frequent  confer 
ences  with  Mulford  were  fast  opening  her  eyes,  not  to  say  her 
heart,  and  she  was  beginning  to  see  Captain  Spike  in  his  true 
character,  which  was  that  of  a  great  scoundrel.  It  is  true,  that 
the  mate  had  not  long  judged  his  commander  quite  so  harshly ; 
but  had  rather  seen  his  beautiful  brig,  and  her  rare  qualities, 
in  her  owner  and  commander,  than  the  man  himself;  but 
jealousy  had  quickened  his  observation  of  late,  and  Stephen 
Spike  had  lost  ground  sensibly  with  Harry  Mulford,  within 
the  last  week.  Two  or  three  times  before,  the  young  man 
had  thought  of  seeking  another  berth,  on  account  of  certain 
distrusts  of  Spike's  occupations  ;  but  he  was  poor,  and  so 
long  as  he  remained  in  the  Swash,  Harry's  opportunities  of 
meeting  Rose  were  greatly  increased.  This  circumstance, 
indeed,  was  the  secret  of  his  still  being  in  the  "  Molly,"  as 
Spike  usually  called  his  craft ;  the  last  voyage  having  ex 
cited  suspicions  that  were  rather  of  a  delicate  nature.  Then 
the  young  man  really  loved  the  brig,  which,  if  she  could 
not  be  literally  made  to  talk,  could  be  made  to  do  almost 
everything  else.  A  vessel,  and  a  small  vessel,  too,  is  rather 
contracted  as  to  space,  but  those  who  wish  to  converse  can 
contrive  to  speak  together  often,  even  in  such  narrow  limits. 
Such  had  been  the  lact  with  Rose  Budd  and  the  handsome 
mate.  Twenty  times  since  they  sailed,  short  as  that  time 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  71 

was.  had  Mulford  contrived  to  get  so  near  to  Rose,  as  to  talk 
with  her,  unheard  by  others.  It  is  true,  that  he  seldom 
ventured  to  do  this,  so  long  as  the  captain  was  in  sight,  but 
Spike  was  often  belo\v,  arid  opportunities  were  constantly 
occurring.  It  was  in  the  course  of  these  frequent  but  brief 
conversations,  that  Harry  had  made  certain  dark  hints- 
touching  the  character  of  his  commander,  and  the  known 
recklessness  of  his  proceedings.  Rose  had  taken  the  alarm, 
and  fully  comprehending  her  aunt's  mental  imbecility,  her 
situation  was  already  giving  her  great  uneasiness.  She  had 
some  undefined  hopes  from  the  revenue  steamer  ;  though, 
strangely  enough  as  it  appeared  to  her,  her  youngest  and 
most  approved  suitor  betrayed  a  strong  desire  to  escape  from 
that  craft,  at  the  very  moment  he  was  expressing  his  appre 
hensions  on  account  of  her  presence  in  the  brig.  This  con 
tradiction  arose  from  a  certain  esprit  de  corps,  which  seldom 
fails,  more  or  less,  to  identify  the  mariner  with  his  ship. 

But  the  writing  was  finished,  and  the  letter  sealed  with 
wax,  Mrs.  Budd  being  quite  as  particular  in  that  ceremony 
as  Lord  Nelson,  when  the  females  again  repaired  on  deck. 
They  found  Spike  and  his  mate  sweeping  the  eastern  part 
of  the  Sound  with  their  glasses,  with  a  view  to  look  out  for 
enemies ;  or,  what  to  them,  just  then,  was  much  the  same 
thing,  government  craft.  In  this  occupation,  Rose  was  a 
little  vexed  to  see  that  Mulford  was  almost  as  much  interested 
as  Spike  himself,  the  love  of  his  vessel  seemingly  over 
coming  his  love  for  her,  if  not  his  love  of  the  right — she 
knew  of  no  reason,  however,  why  the  captain  should  dread 
any  other  vessel,  and  felt  sufficiently  provoked  to  question 
him  a  little  on  the  subject,  if  it  were  only  to  let  him  see  that 
the  niece  was  not  as  completely  his  dupe  as  the  aunt.  She 
had  not  been  on  deck  five  minutes,  therefore,  during  which 
time  several  expressions  had  escaped  the  two  sailors  touching 
their  apprehensions  of  vessels  seen  in  the  distance,  ere  she 
commenced  her  inquiries. 

"  And  why  should  we  fear  meeting  with  other  vessels'?" 
Rose  plainly  demanded — "  here  in  Long  Island  Sound,  and 
within  the  power  of  the  laws  of  the  country  ?" 

"  Fear  ?"  exclaimed  Spike,  a  little  startled,  and  a  good 
deal  surprised  at  this  straight-forward  question  —  "  Fea-r, 
Miss  Rose !  You  do  not  think  we  are  afraid,  though  there 


72  JACK   TIER; 

are  many  reasons  why  we  do  not  wish  to  be  spoken  by  cer 
tain  craft  that  are  hovering  about.  In  the  first  place,  you 
know  it  is  war  time — -I  suppose  you  know,  Madam  Budd, 
that  America  is  at  war  with  Mexico?" 

"Certainly,"  answered  the  widow,  with  dignity — "and 
that  is  a  sufficient  reason,  Rose,  why  one  vessel  should 
chase,  and  another  should  run.  If  you  had  heard  your 
poor  uncle  relate,  as  I  have  done,  all  his  chasings  and  run 
nings  away,  in  the  war  times,  child,  you  would  understand 
these  things  better.  Why,  I  've  heard  your  uncle  say  that, 
in  some  of  his  long  voyages,  he  has  run  thousands  and 
thousands  of  miles,  with  sails  set  on  both  sides,  and  all  over 
his  ship !" 

"  Yes,  aunty,  and  so  have  I,  but  that  was  '  running  before 
the  wind,'  as  he  used  to  call  it." 

"  I  s'pose,  however,  Miss  Rose,"  put  in  Spike,  who  saw 
that  the  niece  would  soon  get  the  better  of  the  aunt ; — "  I 
s'pose,  Miss  Rose,  that  you  '11  acknowledge  that  America  is 
at  war  with  Mexico  ?" 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  such  is  the  fact,  but  I  remember 
to  have  heard  you  say,  yourself,  Captain  Spike,  when  my 
aunt  was  induced  to  undertake  this  voyage,  that  you  did  not 
consider  there  was  the  smallest  danger  from  any  Mexicans." 

"  Yes,  you  did,  Captain  Spike,"  added  the  aunt — "  you 
did  say  there  was  no  danger  from  Mexicans." 

"  Nor  is  there  a  bit,  Madam  Budd,  if  Miss  Rose,  and 
your  honoured  self,  will  only  hear  me.  There  is  no  danger, 
because  the  brig  has  the  heels  of  anything  Mexico  can  send 
to  sea.  She  has  sold  her  steamers,  and,  as  for  anything 
else  under  her  flag,  I  would  not  care  a  straw." 

"  The  steamer  from  which  we  ran,  last  evening,  and 
which  actually  fired  off  a  cannon  at  us,  was  not  Mexican, 
but  American,"  said  Rose,  with  a  pointed  manner  that  put 
Spike  to  his  trumps. 

<:  Oh  !  that  steamer — "  he  stammered — "  that  was  a  raco 
— only  a  race,  Miss  Rose,  and  I  wouldn't  let  her  come  near 
rne,  for  the  world.  I  should  never  hear  the  last  of  it,  in  the 
insurance  offices,  and  on  'change,  did  I  let  her  overhaul 
us.  You  see,  Miss  Rose — you  see,  Madam  Budd — "  Spiko 
eve-r  found  it  most  convenient  to  address  his  mystifying  dis 
course  to  the  aunt,  in  preference  to  addressing  it  to  the  niece 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  73 

— "  You  see,  Madam  Budd,  the  master  of  that  craft  and  I 
are  old  cronies — sailed  together  when  boys,  and  set  great 
store  by  each  other.  We  met  only  last  evening,  just  a'ter 
I  had  left  your  own  agreeable  mansion,  Madam  Budd,  and 
says  he,  '  Spike,  when  do  you  sail  V  *  To-morrow's  flood, 
Jones,'  says  I  —  his  name  is  Jones  ; — Peter  Jones,  and  as 
good  a  fellow  as  ever  lived.  *  Do  you  go  by  the  Hook,  or 
by  Hell-Gate-"' 

"Hurl-Gate,  Captain  Spike,  if  you  please  —  or  Whirl- 
Gate,  which  some  people  think  is  the  true  sound  ;  but  the 
other  way  of  saying  it  is  awful." 

"  Well,  the  captain,  my  old  master,  always  called  it  Hell- 
Gate,  and  I  learned  the  trick  from  him — " 

"  I  know  he  did,  and  so  do  all  sailors;  but  genteel  people, 
now-a-days,  say  nothing  but  Hurl-Gate,  or  Whirl-Gate." 

Rose  smiled  at  this,  as  did  Mulford  ;  but  neither  said  any 
thing,  the  subject  having  once  before  been  up  between  them. 
As  for  ourselves,  we  are  still  so  old-fashioned  as  to  say,  and 
write,  Hell-Gate,  and  intend  so  to  do,  in  spite  of  all  the 
Yankees  that  have  yet  passed  through  it,  or  who  ever  shall 
pass  through  it,  and  that  is  saying  a  great  deal.  We  do 
not  like  changing  names  to  suit  their  uneasy  spirits. 

"  Call  the  place  Hurl-Gate,  and  go  on  with  your  story," 
said  the  widow,  complacently. 

"  Yes,  Madam  Budd — '  Do  you  go  by  the  Hook,  or  by 
Whirl-Gate?' said  Jones.  '  By  Whirl-a-Gig-Gate,' says  I. 
*  Well,'  says  he, '  I  shall  go  through  the  Gate  myself,  in  the 
course  of  the  morning.  We  may  meet  somewhere  to  the 
eastward,  and,  if  we  do,  I  'II  bet  you  a  beaver,'  says  he, 
'  that  I  show  you  my  stern.'  '  Agreed,'  says  I,  and  we 
shook  hands  upon  it.  That's  the  whole  history  of  our 
giving  the  steamer  the  slip,  last  night,  and  of  my  not  wish 
ing  to  let  her  speak  me." 

"  But  you  went  into  a  bay,  and  let  her  go  past  you."  said 
Rose,  coolly  enough  as  to  manner,  but  with  great  point  as 
to  substance.  "  Was  not  that  a  singular  way  of  winning  a 
race  ?" 

"  It  does  seem  so,  Miss  Rose,  but  it 's  all  plain  enough, 
when  understood.  I  found  that  steam  was  too  much  for 
sails,  and  I  stood  up  into  the  bay  to  let  them  run  past  us, 
in  hopes  they  would  nevpT  find  out  the  trick.  I  care  as  little 

VOL.  I.      7 

.    .  


74  JACKTIER; 

for  a  hat  as  any  man,  but  I  do  care  a  good  deal  about  having 
it  reported  on  'change  that  the  Molly  was  beat,  by  even  a 
steamer." 

This  ended  the  discourse  for  the  moment,  Clench  again 
having  something  to  say  to  his  captain  in  private. 

"  How  much  of  that  explanation  am  I  to  believe,  and 
how  much  disbelieve?"  asked  Rose,  the  instant  she  was  left 
alone  with  Harry.  "  If  it  be  all  invention,  it  was  a  ready 
and  ingenious  story." 

"  No  part  of  it  is  true.  He  no  more  expected  that  the 
steamer  would  pass  through  Hell-Gate,  than  I  expected  it 
myself.  There  was  no  bet,  or  race,  therefore ;  but  it  was 
our  wish  to  avoid  Uncle  Sam's  cruiser,  that  was  all." 

"  And  why  should  you  wish  any  such  thing?" 

"  On  my  honour,  I  can  give  you  no  better  reason,  so  far 
as  I  am  concerned,  than  the  fact  that,  wishing  to  keep  clear 
of  her,  I  do  not  like  to  be  overhauled.  Nor  can  I  tell  you 
why  Spike  is  so  much  in  earnest  in  holding  the  revenue 
vessel  at  arm's  length ;  I  know  he  dislikes  all  such  craft,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  but  I  can  see  no  particular  reason  for  it 
just  now.  A  more -innocent  cargo  was  never  stuck  into  a 
vessel's  hold." 

"  What  is  it?" 

"  Flour  ;  and  no  great  matter  of  that.  The  brig  is  not 
half  full,  being  just  in  beautiful  ballast  trim,  as  if  ready  for 
a  race.  I  can  see  no  sufficient  reason,  beyond  native  anti 
pathy,  why  Captain  Spike  should  wish  to  avoid  any  craft, 
for  it  is  humbug  his  dread  of  a  Mexican,  and  least  of  all, 
here,  in  Long  Island  Sound.  All  that  story  about  Jones  is 
a  tub  for  whales." 

"Thank  you  for  the  allusion;  my  aunt  and  myself  being 
the  whales." 

"  You  know  I  do  mean — can  mean  nothing,  Rose,  that  is 
disrespectful  to  either  yourself  or  your  aunt." 

Rose  looked  up,  and  she  looked  pleased.  Then  she 
mused  in  silence,  for  some  time,  when  she  again  spoke. 

"  Why  have  you  remained  another  voyage  with  such  a 
man,  Harry  ?"  she  asked,  earnestly. 

"  Because,  as  his  first  officer,  I  have  had  access  to  your 
house,  when  I  could  not  have  had  it  otherwise ;  and  because 
I  have  apprehended  that  he  might  persuade  Mrs.  Budd,  as 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  75 

he  had  boasted  to  me  it  was  his  intention  to  do,  to  make 
this  voyage." 

Rose  now  looked  grateful ;  and  deeply  grateful  did  she 
feel,  and  had  reason  to  feel.  Harry  had  concealed  no  por 
tion  of  his  history  from  her.  Like  herself,  he  was  a  ship 
master's  child,  but  one  better  educated  and  better  connected 
than  was  customary  for  the  class.  His  father  had  paid  a 
good  deal  of  attention  to  the  youth's  early  years,  but  had 
made  a  seaman  of  him,  out  of  choice.  The  father  had  lost 
his  all,  however,  with  his  life,  in  a  shipwreck ;  and  Harry 
was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty.  He  had  made  one  or  two  voyages  as  a  second 
mate,  when  chance  threw  him  in  Spike's  way,  who,  pleased 
with  some  evidences  of  coolness  and  skill,  that  he  had 
shown  in  a  foreign  port,  on  the  occasion  of  another  loss, 
took  him  as  his  first  officer ;  in  which  situation  he  had  re 
mained  ever  since,  partly  from  choice  and  partly  from  ne 
cessity.  On  the  other  hand,  Rose  had  a  fortune;  by  no 
means  a  large  one,  but  several  thousands  in  possession,  from 
her  own  father,  and  as  many  more  in  reversion  from  her 
uncle.  It  was  this  money,  taken  in  connection  with  the 
credulous  imbecility  of  the  aunt,  that  had  awakened  the 
cupidity,  and  excited  the  hopes  of  Spike.  After  a  life  of 
lawless  adventure,  one  that  had  been  chequered  by  every 
shade  of  luck,  he  found  himself  growing  old,  with  his  brig 
growing  old  with  him,  and  little  left  beside  his  vessel  and 
the  sort  of  half  cargo  that  was  in  her  hold.  Want  of  means, 
indeed,  was  the  reason  that  the  flour-barrels  were  not  more 
numerous. 

Rose  heard  Mulford's  explanation  favourably,  as  indeed 
she  heard  most  of  that  which  came  from  him,  but  did  not 
renew  the  discourse,  Spike's  conference  with  the  boatswain 
just  then  terminating.  The  captain  now  came  aft,  and 
began  to  speak  of  the  performances  of  his  vessel  in  a  way 
to  show  that  he  took  great  pride  in  them. 

"  We  are  travelling  at  the  rate  often  knots,  Madam  Budd," 
he  said  exultingly,  "  and  that  will  take  us  clear  of  the  land, 
before  night  shuts  in  ag'in.  Montauk  is  a  good  place  for 
an  offing ;  I  ask  for  no  better." 

"  Shall  we  then  have  two  offings,  this  voyage,  Captain 
Spike?"  asked  Rose,  a  little  sarcastically;  "If  we  are  in 


76  JACK    TIER? 

the  offing  now,  and  are  to  be  in  the  offing  when  we  reach 
Montauk,  there  must  be  two  such  places." 

"  Rosy,  dear,  you  amaze  rne  !"  put  in  the  aunt.  "  There 
is  no  offing  until  the  pilot  is  discharged,  and  when  he's  dis 
charged  there  is  nothing  but  offing.  It 's  all  offing.  On  the 
Sound,  is  the  first  great  change  that  befalls  a  vessel  as  she 
goes  to  sea  ;  then  comes  the  offing ;  next  the  pilot  is  dis 
charged — then- — then — what  comes  next,  Captain  Spike?" 

"  Then  the  vessel  takes  her  departure — an  old  navigator 
like  yourself,  Madam  Budd,  ought  not  to  forget  the  departure." 

"  Quite  true,  sir.  The  departure  is  a  very  important 
portion  of  a  seaman's  life.  Often  and  often  have  I  heard 
my  poor  dear  Mr.  Budd  talk  about  his  departures.  His 
departures,  and  his  offings  and  his — " 

"  Land-falls,"  added  Spike,  perceiving  that  the  ship 
master's  relict  was  a  little  at  fault. 

"Thank  you,  sir;  the  hint  is  quite  welcome.  His  land 
falls,  also,  were  often  in  his  mouth." 

"What  is  a  land-fall,  aunty?"  inquired  Rose  — "It  ap 
pears  a  strange  term  to  be  used  by  one  who  lives  on  the 
water." 

"  Oh  !  there  is  no  end  to  the  curiosities  of  sailors !  A 
4  land-fall,'  my  dear,  means  a  shipwreck,  of  course.  To 
fall  on  the  land,  and  a  very  unpleasant  fall  it  is,  when  a 
vessel  should  keep  on  the  water.  I  've  heard  of  dreadful 
fand-falls  in  my  day,  in  which  hundreds  of  souls  have  been 
&wept  into  eternity,  in  an  instant." 

"  Yes ;  yes,  Madam  Budd  —  there  are  such  accidents 
truly,  and  serious  things  be  they  to  encounter,"  answered 
Spike,  hemming  a  little  to  clear  his  throat,  as  was  much  his 
practice  whenever  the  widow  ran  into  any  unusually  extra 
vagant  blunder;  "yes,  serious  things  to  encounter.  But 
the  land-fall  that  I  mean  is  a  different  sort  of  thing ;  being, 
as  you  well  know,  what  we  say  when  we  come  in  sight  of 
land,  a'ter  a  v'y'ge ;  or,  meaning  the  land  we  may  happen 
first  to  see.  The  departure  is  the  beginning  of  our  cal 
culation  when  we  lose  sight  of  the  last  cape  or  headland, 
and  the  land-fall  closes  it,  by  letting  us  know  where  we  are, 
at  trie  other  end  of  our  journey,  as  you  probably  remember.' 

"  Is  there  not  such  a  thing  as  clearing  out  in  navigation  ?n 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     RUE  P.  77 

asked  Rose,  quickly,  willing  to  cover  a  little  confusion  that 
was  manifest  in  her  aunt's  manner. 

"  Not  exactly  in  navigation,  Miss  Rose,  but  clearing  out, 
with  honest  folk,  ought  to  come  first,  and  navigation  a'ter- 
wards.  Clearing  out  means  going  through  the  Custom- 
House,  accordin'  to  law." 

"And  the  Molly  Swash  has  cleared  out,  I  hope?" 

"  Sartain — a  more  lawful  clearance  was  never  given  in 
Wall  Street ;  it's  for  Key  West  and  a  market.  I  did  think 
of  making  it  Havana  and  a  market,  but  port-charges  are 
lightest  at  Key  West." 

"  Then  Key  West  is  the  place  to  which  we  are  bound  ?" 

"  It  ought  to  be,  agreeable  to  papers ;  though  vessels 
sometimes  miss  the  ports  for  which  they  clear." 

Rose  put  no  more  questions ;  and  her  aunt,  being  con 
scious  that  she  had  not  appeared  to  advantage  in  the  affair 
of  the  "  lan'd-fall,"  was  also  disposed  to  be  silent.  Spike 
and  Mulford  had  their  attention  drawn  to  the  vessel,  and  the 
conversation  dropped. 

The  reader  can  readily  suppose  that  the  Molly  Swash 
had  not  been  standing  still  all  this  time.  So  far  from  this, 
she  was  running  "  down  Sound,"  with  the  wind  on  her 
quarter,  or  at  south-west,  making  great  head-way,  as  she 
was  close  under  the  south  shore,  or  on  the  island  side  of  the 
water  she  was  in.  The  vessel  had  no  other  motion  than 
that  of  her  speed,  and  the  females  escaped  everything  like 
sea-sickness,  for  the  time  being.  This  enabled  them- to 
attend  to  making  certain  arrangements  necessary  to  their 
comforts  below,  previously  to  getting  into  rough  water.  In 
acquitting  herself  of  this  task,  Rose  received  much  useful 
advice  from  Josh,  though  his  new  assistant,  Jack  Tier, 
turned  out  to  be  a  prize  indeed,  in  the  cabins.  The  first 
was  only  a  steward ;  but  the  last  proved  himself  not  only 
a  handy  person  of  his  calling,  but  one  full  of  resources — a 
genius,  in  his  way.  Josh  soon  became  so  sensible  of  his 
own  inferiority,  in  contributing  to  the  comforts  of  females, 
that  he  yielded  the  entire  management  of  the  "  ladies' 
cabin,"  as  a  little  place  that  might  have  been  ten  feet  square, 
was  called,  to  his  uncouth-looking,  but  really  expert  deputy. 
Jack  waddled  about  below,  as  if  born  and  brought  up  in 
such  a  place,  and  seemed  every  way  fitted  for  his  office.  In 
7* 


78  JACK    TIER; 

'height,  and  in  build  generally,  there  was  a  surprising  con 
formity  between  the  widow  and  the  steward's  deputy,  a  cir 
cumstance  which  might  induce  one  to  think  they  must  often 
have  been  in  each  other's  way,  in  a  space  so  small ;  though,  in 
point  of  fact,  Jack  never  ran  foul  of  any  one.  He  seemed 
to  avoid  this  inconvenience  by  a  species  of  nautical  instinct. 

Towards  the  turn  of  the  day,  Rose  had  everything  ar 
ranged,  and  was  surprised  to  find  how  much  room  she  had 
made  for  her  aunt  and  herself,  by  means  of  Jack's  hints, 
and  how  much  more  comfortable  it  was  possible  to  be,  in 
that  small  cabin,  than  she  had  at  first  supposed. 

After  dinner,  Spike  took  his  siesta.  He  slept  in  a  little 
state-room  that  stood  on  the  starboard  side  of  the  quarter 
deck,  quite  aft ;  as  Mulford  did  in  one  on  the  larboard. 
These  two  state-rooms  were  fixtures  ;  but  a  light  deck  over 
head,  which  connected  them,  shipped  and  unshipped,  form 
ing  a  shelter  for  the  man  at  the  wheel,  when  in  its  place,  as 
well  as  for  the  officer  of  the  watch,  should  he  see  fit  to  use 
it,  in  bad  weather.  This  sort  of  cuddy,  Spike  termed  his 
"  coach-house." 

The  captain  had  no  sooner  gone  into  his  state-room,  and 
closed  its  window,  movements  that  were  understood  by 
Mulford,  than  the  latter  took  occasion  to  intimate  to  Rose, 
by  means  of  Jack  Tier,  the  state  of  things  on  deck,  when 
the  young  man  was  favoured  with  the  young  lady's  com 
pany. 

"  He  has  turned  in  for  his  afternoon's  nap,  and  will  sleep 
for  just  one  hour,  blow  high,  or  blow  low,"  said  the  mate, 
placing  himself  at  Rose's  side  on  the  trunk,  which  formed 
the  usual  seat  for  those  who  could  presume  to  take  the 
liberty  of  sitting  down  on  the  quarter-deck.  "  It 's  a  habit 
with  him,  and  we  can  count  on  it,  with  perfect  security." 

"  His  doing  so,  now,  is  a  sign  that  he  has  no  immediate 
fears  of  the  revenue  steamer?" 

"  The  coast  is  quite  clear  of  her.  We  have  taken  good 
looks  at  every  smoke,  but  can  see  nothing  that  appears  like 
our  late  companion.  She  has  doubtless  gone  to  the  east 
ward,  on  duty,  and  merely  chased  us,  on  her  road." 

"•  But  why  should  she  chase  us,  at  all  ?" 

•'Because  we  ran.  Let  a  dog  run,  or  a  man  run,  or  a 
cat  run,  ten  to  one  but  something  starts  in  chase.  It  is 


OR?    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  79 

human  nature,  I  believe,  to  give  chase ;  though  I  will  admit, 
there  was  something  suspicious  about  that  steamer's  move 
ments — her  anchoring  off  the  Fort,  for  instance.  But  let 
her  go,  for  the  present ;  are  you  getting  things  right,  and  to 
your  mind,  below  decks?" 

"  Very  much  so.  The  cabin  is  small,  and  the  two  state 
rooms  the  merest  drawers  that  ever  were  used,  but,  by  put 
ting  everything  in  its  place,  we  have  made  sufficient  room, 
and  no  doubt  shall  be  comfortable." 

"  I  am  sorry  you  did  not  call  on  me  for  assistance.  The 
mate  has  a  prescriptive  right  to  help  stow  away." 

"  We  made  out  without  your  services,"  returned  Rose, 
slightly  blushing — "  Jack  Tier,  as  he  is  called,  Josh's  as 
sistant,  is  a  very  useful  person,  and  has  been  our  adviser 
and  manager.  I  want  no  better  for  such  services." 

"  He  is  a  queer  fellow,  all  round.  Take  him  altogether,  I 
hardly  ever  saw  so  droll  a  being!  As  thick  as  he's  long, 
with  a  waddle  like  a  duck,  a  voice  that  is  cracked,  hair  like 
bristles,  and  knee  high ;  the  man  might  make  a  fortune  as 
a  show.  Tom  Thumb  is  scarcely  a  greater  curiosity." 

"  He  is  singular  in  '  build,'  as  you  call  it,"  returned  Rose, 
laughing, "  but,  I  can  assure  you  that  he  is  a  most  excellent 
fellow  in  his  way — worth  a  dozen  of  Josh.  Do  you  know, 
Harry,  that  I  suspect  he  has  strong  feelings  towards  Captain 
Spike;  though  whether  of  like  or  dislike,  friendship  or  en 
mity,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  say." 

"  And  why  do  you  think  that  he  has  any  feeling  at  all  ? 
I  have  heard  Spike  say  he  left  the  fellow  ashore,  somewhere 
down  on  the  Spanish  Main,  or  in  the  Islands,  quite  twenty 
years  since ;  but  a  sailor  would  scarce  carry  a  grudge  so 
long  a  time,  for  such  a  thing  as  that." 

"  I  do  not  know — but  feeling  there  is,  and  much  of  it, 
too;  though,  whether  hostile  or  friendly,  I  will  not  under 
take  to  say." 

"  I  '11  look  to  the  chap,  now  you  tell  me  this.  It  is  a  little 
odd,  the  manner  in  which  he  got  on  board  us,  taken  in  con 
nection  with  the  company  he  was  in,  and  a  discovery  may 
be  made.  Here  he  is,  however ;  and,  as  I  keep  the  keys  of 
the  magazine,  he  can  do  us  no  great  harm,  unless  he  scut 
tles  the  brig." 

"  Magazine !     Is  there  such  a  thing  here?" 


80  J  A  C  K     T  I  E  R  , 

"  To  be  sure  there  is,  and  ammunition  enough  in  it  to 
keep  eight  carronades  in  lively  conversation  for  a  couple  of 
hours." 

"  A  carronade  is  what  you  call  a  gun,  is  it  not?" 

"A  piece  of  a  one  —  being  somewhat  short,  like  your 
friend,  Jack  Tier,  who  is  shaped  a  good  deal  like  a  carronade." 

Rose  smiled  —  nay,  half  raughed,  for  Harry's  pleasant 
ries  almost  took  the  character  of  wit  in  her  eyes,  but  she 
did  not  the  less  pursue  her  inquiries. 

"  Guns  !    And  where  are  they,  if  they  be  on  this  vessel  ?" 

"  Do  not  use  such  a  lubberly  expression,  my  dear  Rose, 
if  you  respect  your  father's  profession.  On  a  vessel,  is  a 
new-fangled  Americanism,  that  is  neither  fish,  flesh,  nor 
red-herring,  as  we  sailors  say — neither  English  nor  Greek." 

"  What  should  I  say,  then  ?  My  wish  is  not  to  parade 
sea-talk,  but  to  use  it  correctly,  when  I  use  it  at  all." 

"  The  expression  is  hardly  '  sea-talk,'  as  you  call  it,  but 
every-day  English — that  is,  when  rightly  used.  On  a  vessel 
is  no  more  English  than  it  is  nautical — no  sailor  ever  used 
such  an  expression." 

"  Tell  me  what  I  ought  to  say,  and  you  will  find  me  a 
willing,  if  not  an  apt  scholar.  I  am  certain  of  having  often 
read  it,  in  the  newspapers,  and  that  quite  lately." 

"  I  '11  answer  for  that,  and  it 's  another  proof  of  its  being 
wrong.  In  a  vessel  is  as  correct  as  in  a  coach,  and  on  a 
vessel  as  wrong  as  can  be ;  but  you  can  say  on  board  a 
vessel,  though  not '  on  the  boards  of  a  vessel ;'  as  Mrs.  Budd 
has  it." 

"  Mr.  Mulford !" 

**  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons,  Rose,  and  will  offend  no 
more — though  she  does  make  some  very  queer  mistakes !" 

"My  aunt  thinks  it  an  honour  to  my  uncle's  memory,  to 
be  able  to  use  the  language  of  his  professional  life,  and  if 
she  does  sometimes  make  mistakes  that  are  absurd,  it  is 
with  motives  so  respectable  that  no  sailor  should  deride 
them." 

"lam  rebuked  for  ever.  Mrs.  Budd  may  call  the  anchor 
a  silver  spoon,  hereafter,  without  my  even  smiling.  But  if 
the  aunt  has  this  kind  remembrance  of  a  searfian's  life,  why 
cannot  the  niece  think  equally  well  of  it?" 

"Perhaps   she  does,"  returned  Rose,  smiling  again  — 


OR,    THE     FLORID  A     REEF.  81 

"  seeing  all  its  attractions  through  the  claims  of  Captain 
Spike." 

"  I  think  half  the  danger  from  him  gone,  now  that  you 
seem  so  much  on  your  guard.  What  an  odious  piece  of 
deception,  to  persuade  Mrs.  Budd  that  you  were  fast  falling 
into  a  decline !" 

"  One  so  odious  that  I  shall  surely  quit  the  brig  at  the 
fkst  port  we  enter,  or  even  in  the  first  suitable  vessel  that 
we  may  speak." 

"  And  Mrs.  Budd  —  could  you  persuade  her  to  such  a 
course?" 

"  You  scarce  know  us,  Harry  Mulford.  My  aunt  com 
mands,  when  there  is  no  serious  duty  to  perform,  but  we 
change  places  when  there  is.  I  can  persuade  her  to  any 
thing  that  is  right,  in  ten  minutes." 

"•You  might  persuade  a  world  !"  cried  Harry,  with  strong 
admiration  expressed  in  his  countenance;  after  which  he 
began  to  converse  with  Rose,  on  a  subject  so  interesting  to 
themselves,  that  we  do  not  think  it  prudent  to  relate  any 
more  of  the  discourse,  forgetting  all  about  the  guns. 

About  four  o'clock,  of  a  fine  summer's  afternoon,  the 
Swash  went  through  the  Race,  on  the  best  of  the  ebb,  and 
with  a  staggering  south-west  wind.  Her  movement  by  the 
land,  just  at  that  point,  could  not  have  been  less  than  at  the 
rate  of  fifteen  miles  in  the  hour.  Spike  was  in  high  spirits, 
for  his  brig  had  got  on  famously  that  day,  and  there  was 
nothing  in  sight  to  the  eastward.  He  made  no  doubt,  as  he 
had  told  his  mate,  that  the  steamer  had  gone  into  the  Vine 
yard  Sound,  and  that  she  was  bound  over  the  shoals. 

"  They  want  to  make  political  capital  out  of  her,"  he 
added,  using  one  of  the  slang  phrases,  that  the  "  business 
habits"  of  the  American  people  are  so  rapidly  incorporating 
with  the  common  language  of  the  country — "  They  want 
to  make  political  capital  out  of  her,  Harry,  and  must  show 
her  off  to  the  Boston  folk,  who  are  full  of  notions.  Well, 
let  them  turn  her  to  as  much  account  in  that  way  as  they 
please,  so  long  as  they  keep  her  clear  of  the  Molly.  Your 
sarvant,  Madam  Budd" — addressing  the  widow,  who  just  at 
that  moment  came  on  deck — "  a  fine  a'ternoon,  and  likely 
to  be  a  clear  night  to  run  off  the  coast  in." 

"  Clear  nights  are  desirable,  and  most  of  all  at  sea,  Cap- 


82  JACK    TIER; 

tain  Spike,"  returned  the  relict,  in  her  best,  complacent 
manner,  "  whether  it  be  to  run  off  a  coast,  or  to  run  on  a 
coast.  In  either  case,  a  clear  night,  or  a  bright  moon  must 
be  useful." 

Captain  Spike  rolled  his  tobacco  over  in  his  mouth,  and 
cast  a  furtive  glance  at  the  mate,  but  he  did  not  presume  to 
hazard  any  further  manifestations  of  his  disposition  to  laugh. 

"  Yes,  Madam  Budd,"  he  answered,  "  it  is  quite  as  you 
say,  and  I  am  only  surprised  where  you  have  picked  up  so 
much  of  what  I  call  useful  nautical  knowledge." 

"  We  live  and  learn,  sir.  You  will  recollect  that  this  is 
not  my  first  voyage,  having  made  one  before,  and  that  I 
passed  a  happy,  happy,  thirty  years,  in  the  society  of  my 
poor,  dear  husband,  Rose's  uncle.  One  must  have  been 
dull,  indeed,  not  to  have  picked  up,  from  such  a  companion, 
much  of  a  calling  that  was  so  dear  to  him,  and  the  particu 
lars  of  which  were  so  very  dear  to  him.  He  actually  gave 
me  lessons  in  the  '  sea  dialect,'  as  he  called  it,  which  pro 
bably  is  the  true  reason  I  am  so  accurate  and  general  in 
my  acquisitions." 

"  Yes,  Madam  Budd — yes — hem — you  are — yes,  you  are 
wonderful  in  that  way.  We  shall  soon  get* an  offing,  now, 
Madam  Budd — yes,  soon  get  an  offing,  now." 

"  And  take  in  our  departure,  Captain  Spike — "  added  the 
widow,  with  a  very  intelligent  smile. 

"  Yes,  take  our  departure.  Montauk  is  yonder,  just 
coming  in  sight ;  only  some  three  hours'  run  from  this  spot. 
When  we  get  there,  the  open  ocean  will  lie  before  us ;  and 
give  me  the  open  sea,  and  I  '11  not  call  the  king  my  uncle." 

"  Was  he  your  uncle,  Captain  Spike?" 

"Only  in  a  philanthropic  way,  Madam  Budd.  Yes,  let 
us  get  a  good  offing,  and  a  rapping  to'gallant  breeze,  and  I 
do  not  think  I  should  care  much  for  two  of  Uncle  Sam's 
new-fashioned  revenue  craft,  one  on  each  side  of  me." 

"  How  delightful  do  I  find  such  conversation,  Rose  !  It 's 
as  much  like  your  poor,  dear  uncle's,  as  one  pea  is  like  an 
other.  '  Yes,'  he  used  to  say,  too,  '  let  me  only  have  one 
on  each  side  of  me,  and  a  wrapper  round  the  topgallant 
sail  to  hold  the  breeze,  and  I  'd  not  call  the  king  my  uncle.' 
Now  I  think  of  it,  he  used  to  talk  about  the  king  as  hia 
uncle,  too." 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  83 

*'  It  was  all  talk,  aunty.  He  had  no  uncle,  and,  what  is 
more,  he  had  no  king." 

"  That's  quite  true,  Miss  Rose,"  rejoined  Spike,  attempt 
ing  a  bow,  which  ended  in  a  sort  of  jerk.  "  It  is  not  very 
becoming  in  us  republicans  to  be  talking  of  kings,  but  a 
habit  is  a  habit.  Our  forefathers  had  kings,  and  we  drop 
into  their  ways  without  thinking  of  what  we  are  doing. 
Fore-topgallant  yard,  there?" 

"  Sir." 

"  Keep  a  bright  look-out,  ahead.  Let  me  know  the  instant 
you  make  anything  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Montauk." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir." 

"  As  I  was  saying,  Madam  Budd,  we  seamen  drop  into 
our  forefathers'  ways.  Now,  when  I  was  a  youngster,  I 
remember,  one  day,  that  we  fell  in  with  a  ketch — you  know, 
Miss  Rose,  what  a  ketch  is,  I  suppose?" 

"  I  have  not  the  least  notion  of  it,  sir." 

"  Rosy,  you  amaze  me  !"  exclaimed  the  aunt — "  and  you 
a  ship-master's  niece,  and  a  ship-master's  daughter!  A 
catch  is  a  trick  that  sailors  have,  when  they  quiz  landsmen." 

"  Yes,  Madam  Budd,  yes  ;  we  have  them  sort  of  catches, 
too ;  but  I  now  mean  the  vessel  with  a  peculiar  rig,  which 
we  call  a  ketch,  you  know." 

"  Is  it  the  full-jigger,  or  the  half-jigger  sort,  that  you 
mean  ?" 

Spike  could  hardly  stand  this,  and  he  had  to  hail  the  top 
gallant-yard  again,  in  order  to  keep  the  command  of  his 
muscles,  for  he  saw  by  the  pretty  frown  that  was  gathering 
on  the  brow  of  Rose,  that  she  was  regarding  the  matter  a 
little  seriously.  Luckily,  the  answer  of  the  man  on  the 
yard  diverted  the  mind  of  the  widow  from  the  subject,  and 
prevented  the  necessity  of  any  reply. 

"  There 's  a  light,  of  course,  sir,  on  Montauk,  is  there 
not,  Captain  Spike?"  demanded  the  seaman  who  was  aloft. 

"  To  be  sure  there  is — every  head-land,  hereabouts,  has 
its  light ;  and  some  have  two." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir — it 's  that  which  puzzles  me ;  I  think  I  see 
one  light-house,  and  I  'm  not  certain  but  I  see  two." 

"  If  there  is  anything  like  a  second,  it  must  be  a  sail. 
Montauk  has  but  one  light." 

Mulford  sprang  into  the  fore-rigging,  and  in  a  minute  was 


84  JACK    TIER; 

on  the  yard.  He  soon  came  down,  and  reported  the  light- 
house  in  sight,  with  the  afternoon's  sun  shining  on  it,  but  no 
sail  near. 

"  My  poor,  dear  Mr.  Budd  used  to  tell  a  story  of  his  being 
cast  away  on  a  light-house,  in  the  East  Indies,"  put  in  the 
relict,  as  soon  as  the  mate  had  ended  his  report.  "  which 
always  affected  me.  It  seems  there  were  three  ships  of 
them  together,  in  an  awful  tempest  directly  off  the  land — " 

"That  was  comfortable,  any  how,"  cried  Spike; — "if  it 
must  blow  hard,  let  it  come  off  the  land,  say  I." 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  was  directly  off  the  land,  as  my  poor  hus 
band  always  said,  which  made  it  so  much  the  worse  you 
must  know,  Rosy ;  though  Captain  Spike's  gallant  spirit 
would  rather  encounter  danger  than  not.  It  jlew  what  they 
call  a  Hyson,  in  the  Chinese  seas — " 

"A  what,  aunty?  —  Hyson  is  the  name  of  a  tea,  you 
know." 

"A  Hyson,  I'm  pretty  sure  it  was;  and  I  suppose  the 
wind  is  named  after  the  tea,  or  the  tea  after  the  wind." 

"The  ladies  do  get  in  a  gale,  sometimes,  over  their  tea," 
said  Spike  gallantly.  "  But  I  rather  think  Madam  Budd 
must  mean  a  Typhoon." 

"  That's  it — a  Typhoon,  or  a  Hyson — there  is  not  much 
difference  between  them,  you  see.  Well,  it  blew  a  Typhoon, 
and  they  are  always  mortal  to  somebody.  This  my  poor 
Mr.  Budd  well  knew,  and  he  had  set  his  chronometer  for 
that  Typhoon — " 

"  Excuse  me,  aunty,  it  was  the  barometer  that  he  was 
watching — the  chronometer  was  his  watch." 

"  So  it  was-— his  watch  on  deck  was  his  chronometer,  I 
declare.  I  am  forgetting  a  part  of  my  education.  Do  you 
know  the  use  of  a  chronometer,  now,  Rose?  You  have 
seen  your  uncle's  often,  but  do  you  know  how  he  used  it  ?" 

"  Not  in  the  least,  aunty.  My  uncle  often  tried  to  ex 
plain  it,  but  I  never  could  understand  him." 

"It  must  have  been,  then,  because  Captain  Budd  did  not 
try  to  make  himself  comprehended,"  said  Mulford,  "  for  I 
feel  certain  nothing  would  be  easier  than  to  make  you  under 
stand  the  uses  of  the  chronometer." 

"I  should  like  to  learn  it  from  you,  Mr.  Mulford,"  an 
swered  the  charming  girl,  with  an  emphasis  so  slight  on  the 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  85 

*  you,'  that  no  one  observed  it  but  the  mate,  but  which  was 
clear  enough  to  him,  and  caused  every  nerve  to  thrill. 

*'  I  can  attempt  it,"  answered  the  young  man,  "  if  it  be 
agreeable  to  Mrs.  Budd,  who  would  probably  like  to  hear  it 
herself." 

"  Certainly,  Mr.  Mulford ;  though  I  fancy  you  can  say 
little  on  such  a  subject  that  I  have  not  often  heard  already, 
from  my  poor,  dear  Mr.  Budd." 

"This  was  not  very  encouraging,  truly;  but  Rose  con 
tinuing  to  look  interested,  the  mate  proceeded. 

"  Trie  use  of  the  chronometer  is  to  ascertain  the  longi 
tude,"  said  Harry,  "  and  the  manner  of  doing  it  is,  simply 
this  :  A  chronometer  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  watch, 
made  with  more  care  than  usual,  so  as  to  keep  the  most 
accurate  time.  They  are  of  all  sizes,  from  that  of  a  clock, 
down  to  this  which  I  wear  in  my  fob,  and  which  is  a  watch 
in  size  and  appearance.  Now,  the  nautical  almanacs  are  all 
calculated  to  some  particular  meridian — " 

"  Yes,"  interrupted  the  relict,  "  Mr.  Budd  had  a  great 
deal  to  say  about  meridians." 

"  That  of  London,  or  Greenwich,  being  the  meridian 
used  by  those  who  use  the  English  Almanacs,  and  those  of 
Paris  or  St.  Petersburg,  by  the  French  and  Russians.  Each 
of  these  places  has  an  observatory,  and  chronometers  that 
are  kept  carefully  regulated,  the  year  round.  Every  chro 
nometer  is  set  by  the  regulator  of  the  particular  observatory 
or  place  to  which  the  almanac  used  is  calculated." 

"  How  wonderfully  like  my  poor,  dear  Mr.  Budd,  all  this 
is,  Rosy!  Meridians,  and  calculated,  and  almanacs!  I 
could  almost  think  I  heard  your  uncle  entertaining  me  with 
one  of  his  nautical  discussions,  I  declare  !" 

"  Now  the  sun  rises  earlier  in  places  east,  than  in  places 
west  of  us." 

"  It  rises  earlier  in  the  summer,  but  later  in  the  winter, 
everywhere,  Mr.  Mulford." 

"  Yes,  my  dear  Madam  ;  but  the  sun  rises  earlier  every 
day,  in  London,  than  it  does  in  New  York." 

"  That  is  impossible,"  said  the  widow,  dogmatically— 
"  Why  should  not  the  sun  rise  at  the  same  time  in  England 
nnd  America?" 

"  Because  England  is  east  of  America,  aunty.     The  sun 
VOL.  I. —  8 


X . 

• 

86  JACK   TIER; 

does  not  move,  you  know,  but  only  appears  to  us  to  move, 
because  the  earth  turns  round  from  west  to  east,  which 
causes  those  who  are  farthest  east  to  see  it  first.  That  is 
what  Mr.  Mulford  means." 

"  Rose  has  explained  it  perfectly  well,"  continued  the 
mate.  "  Now  the  earth  is  divided  into  360  degrees,  and 
the  day  is  divided  into  24  hours.  If  360  be  divided  by  24, 
the  quotient  will  be  15.  It  follows  that,  for  each  fifteen 
degrees  of  longitude,  there  is  a  difference  of  just  one  hour 
in  the  rising  of  the  sun,  all  over  the  earth,  where  it  rises  at 
all.  New  York  is  near  five  times  15  degrees  west  of  Green 
wich,  and  the  sun  consequently  rises  five  hours  later  at 
New  York  than  at  London." 

"  There  must  be  a  mistake  in  this,  Rosy,"  said  the  relict, 
in  a  tone  of  desperate  resignation,  in  which  the  desire  to 
break  out  in  dissent,  was  struggling  oddly  enough  with  an 
assumed  dignity  of  deportment.  "I've  always  heard  that 
the  people  of  London  are  some  of  the  latest  in  the  world. 
Then,  I  've  been  in  London,  and  know  that  the  sun  rises  in 
New  York,  in  December,  a  good  deal  earlier  than  it  does  in 
London,  by  the  clock — yes,  by  the  clock." 

"  True  enough,  by  the  clock,  Mrs.  Budd,  for  London  is 
more  than  ten  degrees  north  of  New  York,  and  the  farther 
north  you  go,  the  later  the  sun  rises  in  winter,  and  the 
earlier  in  summer." 

The  relict  merely  shrugged  her  shoulders,  as  much  as  to 
say  that  she  knew  no  such  thing ;  but  Rose,  who  had  been 
well  taught,  raised  her  serene  eyes  to  her  aunt's  face,  and 
mildly  said — 

»   "  All  true,  aunty,  and  that  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
earth  is  smaller  at  each  end  than  in  the  middle." 

"  Fifldle  faddle  with  your  middles  and  ends,  Rose — I  Ve 
been  in  London,  dear,  and  know  that  the  sun  rises  later 
there  than  in  New  York,  in  the  month  of  December,  and 
that  I  know  by  the  clock,  I  tell  you." 

"The  reason  of  which  is,"  resumed  Mulford,  "because 
the  clocks  of  each  place  keep  the  time  of  that  place.  Now, 
it  is  different  with  the  chronometers ;  they  are  set  in  the  ob 
servatory  of  Greenwich,  and  keep  the  time  of  Greenwich. 
This  watch  chronometer  was  set  there,  only  six  months 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  87 

since ;  and  this  time,  as  you  see,  is  near  nine  o'clock,  when 
in  truth  it  is  only  about  four  o'clock  here,  where  we  are." 

"  I  wonder  you  keep  such  a  watch,  Mr.  Mulford  !" 

"  I  keep  it,"  returned  the  mate,  smiling,  "  because  I  know 
it  to  keep  good  time.  It  has  the  Greenwich  time ;  and,  as 
your  watch  has  the  New  York  time,  by  comparing  them  to 
gether,  it  is  quite  easy  to  find  the  longitude  of  New  York." 

"  Do  you,  then,  keep  watches  to  compare  with  your  chro 
nometers  ?"  asked  Rose,  with  interest. 

"  Certainly  not ;  as  that  would  require  a  watch  for  every 
separate  part  of  the  ocean,  and  then  we  should  only  get 
known  longitudes.  It  would  be  impracticable,  and  load  a 
ship  with  nothing  but  watches.  What  we  do  is  this  :  We 
set  our  chronometers  at  Greenwich,  and  thus  keep  the 
Greenwich  true  time  wherever  we  go.  The  greatest  atten 
tion  is  paid  to  the  chronometers,  to  see  that  they  receive  no 
injuries;  and  usually  there  are  two,  and  often  more  of  them, 
to  compare  one  with  another,  in  order  to  see  that  they  go 
well.  When  in  the  middle  of  the  ocean,  for  instance,  we 
find  the  true  time  of  the  day  at  that  spot,  by  ascertaining 
the  height  of  the  sun.  This  we  do  by  mea*ns  of  our  quad 
rants,  or  sextants ;  for,  as  the  sun  is  always  in  the  zenith 
at  twelve  o'clock,  nothing  is  easier  than  to  do  this,  when  the 
sun  can  be  seen,  and  an  arc  of  the  heavens  measured.  At 
the  instant  the  height  of  the  sun  is  ascertained  by  one  ob 
server,  he  calls  to  another,  who  notes  the  time  on  the  chro 
nometer.  The  difference  in  these  two  times,  or  that  of  the 
chronometer  and  that  of  the  sun,  gives  the  distance  in  de 
grees  and  minutes,  between  the  longitude  of  Greenwich  and 
that  of  the  place  on  the  ocean  where  the  observer  is ;  and 
that  gives  him  his  longitude.  If  the  difference  is  three  hours 
and  twenty  minutes,  in  time,  the  distance  from  Greenwich 
is  fifty  degrees  of  longitude,  because  the  sun  rises  three  hours 
and  twenty  minutes  sooner  in  London,  than  in  the  fiftieth 
degree  of  west  longitude." 

"  A  watch  is  a  watch,  Rosy,"  put  in  the  aunt,  doggedly 
— "  and  time  is  time. — When  it's  four  o'clock  at  our  house, 
it 's  four  o'clock  at  your  aunt  Sprague's,  and  it 's  so  all  over 
the  world.  The  world  may  turn  round — I'll  not  deny  it, 
far  your  uncle  often  said  as  much  as  that,  but  it  cannot  turn 
in  the  way  Mr,  Mulford  says,  or  we  should  all  fall  off  it,  at 


88  JACKTIER; 

night,  when  it  was  bottom  upwards.  No,  sir,  no ;  you  've 
started  wrong.  My  poor,  dear,  late  Mr.  Budd,  always  ad 
mitted  that  the  world  turned  round,  as  the  books  say ;  but 
when  I  suggested  to  him  the  difficulty  of  keeping  things  in 
their  places,  with  the  earth  upside  down,  he  acknowledged 
candidly — for  he  was  all  candour,  I  must  say  that  for  him — 
and  owned  that  he  had  made  a  discovery  by  means  of  his 
barometer,  which  showed  that  the  world  did  not  turn  round 
in  the  way  you  describe,  or  by  rolling  over,  but  by  whirling 
about,  as  one  turns  in  a  dance.  You  must  remember  your 
uncle's  telling  me  this,  Rose?" 

Rose  did  remember  her  uncle's  telling  her  aunt  this,  as 
well  as  a  great  many  other  similar  prodigies.  Captain  Budd 
had  married  his  silly  wife  on  account  of  her  pretty  face,  and 
when  the  novelty  of  that  was  over,  he  often  amused  himself 
by  inventing  all  sorts  of  absurdities,  to  amuse  both  her  and 
himself.  Among  other  things,  Rose  well  remembered  his 
quieting  her  aunt's  scruples  about  falling  off  the  earth,  by 
laying  down  the  theory  that  the  world  did  not  "  roll  over," 
but "  whirl  round."  But  Rose  did  not  answer  the  question.^ 

"  Objects  are  kept  in  their  places  on  the  earth  by  means 
of  attraction,"  Mulford  ventured  to  say,  with  a  great  deal 
of  humility  of  manner.  "  I  believe  it  is  thought  there  is  no 
up  or  down,  except  as  we  go  from  or  towards  the  earth; 
and  that  would  make  the  position  of  the  last  a  matter  of 
indifference,  as  respects  objects  keeping  on  it." 

"  Attractions  are  great  advantages,  I  will  own,  sir,  espe 
cially  to  our  sex.  I  think  it  will  be  acknowledged  there  has 
been  no  want  of  them  in  our  family,  any  more  than  there 
has  been  of  sense  and  information.  Sense  and  information 
fwe  pride  ourselves  on  ;  attractions  being  gifts  from  God, 
we  try  to  think  less  of  them.  But  all  the  attractions  in  the 
world  could  not  keep  Rosy,  here,  from  falling  off  the  earth, 
did  it  ever  come  bottom  upwards.  And,  mercy  on  me, 
where  would  she  fall  to !" 

Mulford  saw  that  argument  was  useless,  and  he  confined 
his  remarks,  during  the  rest  of  the  conversation,  to  showing 
Rose  the  manner  in  which  the  longitude  of  a  place  might  be 
ascertained,  with  the  aid  of  the  chronometer,  and  by  means 
of  observations  to  get  the  true  time  of  day,  at  the  particular 
place  itself.  Rose  was  so  quick-witted,  and  already  so  well 


OR,    THE      FLORIDA     REEF.  89 

instructed,  as  easily  to  comprehend  the  principles ;  the  de 
tails  being  matters  of  no  great  moment  to  one  of  her  sex 
and  habits.  But  Mrs.  Budd  remained  antagonist  to  the  last. 
She  obstinately  maintained  that  twelve  o'clock  was  twelve 
o'clock  ;  or,  if  there  was  any  difference,  "  London  hours 
were  notoriously  later  than  those  of  New  York." 

Against  such  assertions  arguments  were  obviously  use 
less,  and  Mulford,  perceiving  that  Rose  began  to  fidget,  had 
sufficient  tact  to  change  the  conversation  altogether. 

And  still  the  Molly  Swash  kept  in  swift  motion.  Montauk 
was  by  this  time  abeam,  and  the  little  brigantine  began  to 
rise  and  fall,  on  the  long  swells  of  the  Atlantic,  which  now 
opened  before  her,  in  one  vast  sheet  of  green  and  rolling 
waters.  -  On  her  right  lay  the  termination  of  JLong  Island  ; 
a  low,  rocky  cape,  with  its  li^ht,  and  a  few  fields  in  tillage, 
for  the  uses  of  those  who  tended  it.  It  was  the  "  land's  end" 
of  New  York,  while  the  island  that  was  heaving  up  out  of 
the  sea,  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty  miles  to  the  east 
ward,  was  the  property  of  Rhode  Island,  being  called  Blok 
Island.  Between  the  two,  the  Swash  shaped  her  course  for 
the  ocean. 

Spike  had  betrayed  uneasiness,  as  his  brig  came  up  with 

ntauk  ;  but  the  coast  seemed  clear,  with  not  even  a  dis 
tant  sail  in  sight,  and  he  came  aft,  rubbing  his  hands  with 
delight,  speaking  cheerfully. 

"All  right,  Mr.  Mulford,"  he  cried — "everything  ship 
shape  and  brister-fashion — not  even  a  smack  fishing  here 
away,  which  is  a  little  remarkable.  Ha! — what  are  you 
staring  at,  over  the  quarter,  there]" 

"  Look  here,  sir,  directly  in  the  wake  of  the  setting  sun, 
which  we  are  now  opening  from  the  land  —  is  not  that  a 
sail  ?" 

"  Sail !  Impossible,  sir.  What  should  a  sail  be  doing  in 
there,  so  near  Montauk — no  man  ever  saw  a  sail  there  in 
his  life.  It 's  a  spot  in  the  sun,  Madam  Budd,  that  my  mate 
has  got  a  glimpse  at,  and,  sailor-like,  he  mistakes  it  for  a 
sail  1  Ha — ha — ha — yes,  Harry,  it's  a  spot  in  the  sun." 

"  It  is  a  spot  on  the  sun,  as  you  say,  but  it 's  a  spot  made 
by  a  vessel — and  here  is  a  boat  pulling  towards  her,  might 
and  main  :  going  from  the  light,  as  if  carrying  news." 

It  was  no  longer  possible  for  Spike's  hopes  to  deceive 
8  * 


90  JACK    TIER; 

him.  There  was  a  vessel,  sure  enough  ;  though,  when  first 
seen,  it  was  so  directly  in  a  line  with  the  fiery  orb  of  the 
setting  sun,  as  to  escape  common  observation.  As  the  brig 
went  foaming  on  towards  the  ocean,  however,  the  black 
speck  was  soon  brought  out  of  the  range  of  the  orb  of  day, 
and  Spike's  glass  was  instantly  levelled  at  it. 

"Just  as  one  might  expect,  Mr.  Mulford,"  cried  the  cap 
tain,  lowering  his  glass,  and  looking  aloft  to  see  what  could 
be  done  to  help  his  craft  along;  "a  bloody  revenue  cutter, 
as  I  'm  a  wicked  sinner  !  There  she  lies,  sir,  within  musket 
shot  of  the  shore,  hid  behind  the  point,  as  it  might  be  in 
waiting  for  us,  with  her  head  to  the  southward,  her  helm 
hard  down,  topsail  aback,  and  foresail  brailed ;  as  wicked 
looking  a  thing  as  Free  Trade  and  Sailor's  Rights  ever  ran 
from.  My  life  on  it,  sir,  she's  been  put  in  that  precise  spot, 
in  waiting  for  the  Molly  to  arrive.  You  see,  as  we  stand 
on,  it  places  her  as  handsomely  to  windward  of  us,  as  the 
heart  of  man  could  desire." 

"  It  is  a  revenue  cutter,  sir  ;  now  she 's  out  of  the  sun's 
wake,  that  is  plain  enough.  And  that  is  her  boat,  which 
has  been  sent  to  the  light  to  keep  a  look-out  for  us.  Well, 
sir,  she's  to  windward  ;  but  we  have  everything  set  for  our 
course,  and  as  we  are  fairly  abeam,  she  must  be  a  great 
traveller  to  overhaul  us." 

"  I  thought  these  bloody  cutters  were  all  down  in  the 
Gulf,"  growled  the  captain,  casting  his  eyes  aloft  again,  to 
see  that  everything  drew.  "  I  'm  sure  the  newspapers  have 
mentioned  as  many  as  twenty  that  are  down  there,  and  here 
is  one,  lying  behind  Montauk,  like  a  snake  in  the  grass  !" 

"  At  any  rate,  by  the  time  he  gets  his  boat  up  we  shall 
get  the  start  of  him— ay,  there  he  fills  and  falls  off,  to  go 
and  meet  her.  He'll  soon  be  after  us,  Captain  Spike,  at 
racing  speed." 

Everything  occurred  as  those  two  mariners  had  foreseen. 
The  revenue  cutter,  one  of  the  usual  fore-top-sail  schooners 
that  are  employed  in  that  service,  up  and  down  the  coast, 
had  no  sooner  hoisted  up  her  boat,  than  she  made  sail,  a 
little  off  the  wind,  on  a  line  to  close  with  the  Swash.  As 
for  the  brig1,  she  had  hauled  up  to  an  easy  bowline,  as  she 
came  round  Montauk,  and  was  now  standing  off  south  south 
east,  still  having  the  wind  at  south-west.  The  weatherly 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  91 

position  of  the  cutter  enabled  her  to  steer  rather  more  than 
one  point  freer.  At  the  commencement  of  this  chase,  the 
vessels  were  about  a  mile  and  a  half  apart,  a  distance  too 
great  to  enable  the  cutter  to  render  the  light  guns  she  car 
ried  available,  and  it  was  obvious  from  the  first,  that  every 
thing  depended  on  speed.  And  speed  it  was,  truly  ;  both 
vessels  fairly  flying;  the  Molly  Swash  having  at  last  met 
with  something  very  like  her  match.  Half  an  hour  satis 
fied  both  Spike  and  Mulford  that,  by  giving  the  cutter  the 
advantage  of  one  point  in  a  freer  wind,  she  would  certainly 
get  alongside  of  them,  and  the  alternative  was  therefore  to 
keep  off. 

"  A  starn  chase  is  a  long  chase,  all  the  world  over,"  cried 
Spike  —  "edge  away,  sir;  edge  away,  sir,  and  bring  the 
cutter  well  on  our  quarter." 

This  order  was  obeyed  ;  but  to  the  surprise  of  those  in 
the  Swash,  the  cutter  did  not  exactly  follow,  though  she 
kept  off  a  little  more.  Her  object  seemed  to  be  to  maintain 
her  weatherly  position,  and  in  this  manner  the  two  vessels 
ran  on  for  an  hour  longer,  until  the  Swash  had  made  most 
of  the  distance  between  Montauk  and  3lok  Island.  Objects 
were  even  becoming  dimly  visible  on  the  last,  and  the  light 
on  the  point  was  just  becoming  visible,  a  lone  star  above  a 
waste  of  desert,  the  sun  having  been  down  now  fully  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  and  twilight  beginning  to  draw  the  cur 
tain  of  night  over  the  waters. 

"  A  craft  under  Blok,"  shouted  the  look-out,  that  was 
still  kept  aloft  as  a  necessary  precaution. 

"  What  sort  of  a  craft?"  demanded  Spike,  fiercely  ;  for 
the  very  mention  of  a  sail,  at  that  moment,  aroused  all  his 
ire.  "  Arn't  you  making  a  frigate  out  of  an  apple-orchard  ?" 
"  It 's  the  steamer,  sir.  I  can  now  see  her  smoke.  She 's 
just  clearing  the  land,  on  the  south  side  of  the  island,  and 
seems  to  be  coming  round  to  meet  us." 

A  long,  low,  eloquent  whistle  from  the  captain,  succeeded 
this  announcement.  The  man  aloft  was  right.  It  was  the 
steamer,  sure  enough ;  and  she  had  been  lying  hid  behind 
Blok  Island,  exactly  as  her  consort  had  been  placed  behind 
Montauk,  in  waiting  for  their  chase  to  arrive.  The  result 
was,  to  put  the  Molly  Swash  in  exceeding  jeopardy,  and  the 


92  JACKTIER; 

reason  why  the  cutter  kept  so  well  to  windward  was  fully 
explained.  To  pass  out  to  sea  between  these  two  craft  was 
hopeless.  There  remained  but  a  single  alternative  from 
capture  by  one  or  by  the  other,  —  and  that  Spike  adopted 
instantly.  He  kept  his  brig  dead  away,  setting  studding- 
sails  on  both  sides.  This  change  of  course  brought  the 
cutter  nearly  aft,  or  somewhat  on  the  other  quarter,  and 
laid  the  brig's  head  in  a  direction  to  carry  her  close  to  the 
northern  coast  of  the  island.  But  the  principal  advantage 
was  gained  over  the  steamer,  which  could  not  keep  otf, 
without  first  standing  a  mile  or  two,  or  even  more,  to  the 
westward,  in  order  to  clear  the  land.  This  was  so  much 
clear  gain  to  the  Swash,  which  was  running  off  at  racing 
speed,  on  a  north-ea^t  course,  while  her  most  dangerous 
enemy  was  still  heading  to  the  westward.  As  for  the  cutter, 
she  kept  away  ;  but  it  was  soon  apparent  that  the  brig  had 
the  heels  of  her,  dead  before  the  wind. 

Darkness  now  began  to  close  around  the  three  vessels  ; 
the  brig  and  the  schooner  soon  becoming  visible  to  each 
other  principally  by  means  of  their  night-glasses  ;  though 
the  steamer's  position  could  be  easily  distinguished  by  means 
of  her  flaming  chimney.  This  latter  vessel  stood  to  the 
westward  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when  her  commander 
appeared  to  become  suddenly  conscious  of  the  ground  he 
was  losing,  and  he  wore  short  round,  and  went  off  before 
the  wind,  under  steam  and  canvas ;  intending  to  meet  the 
chase  off  the  northern  side  of  the  island.  The  very  person 
who  had  hailed  the  Swash,  as  she  was  leaving  the  wharf, 
who  had  passed  her  in  Hell-Gate,  with  Jack  Tier  in  his 
boat,  and  who  had  joined  her  off  Throgmorton's,  was  now 
on  her  deck,  urging  her  commander  by  every  consideration 
not  to  let  the  brig  escape.  It  was  at  his  suggestion  that  the 
course  was  changed.  Nervous,  and  eager  to  seize  the  brig, 
he  prevailed  on  the  commander  of  the  steamer  to  alter 
his  course.  Had  he  done  no  more  than  this,  all  might  have 
been  well ;  but  so  exaggerated  were  his  notions  of  the 
Swash's  sailing,  that,  instead  of  suffering  the  steamer  to 
keep  close  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  island,  he  persuaded 
her  commander  of  the  necessity  of  standing  off  a  long  dis 
tance  to  the  northward  and  eastward,  with  a  view  to  get 
ahead  of  the  chase.  This  was  not  bad  advice,  were  there 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  93 

any  certainty  that  Spike  would  stand  on,  of  which,  how 
ever,  he  had  no  intention. 

The  night  set  in  dark  and  cloudy ;  and,  the  instant  that 
Spike  saw,  by  means  of  the  flaming  chimney,  that  the 
steamer  had  wore,  and  was  going  to  the  eastward  of  Blok, 
his  plan  was  laid.  Calling  to  Mulford,  he  communicated  it 
to  him,  and  was  glad  to  find  that  his  intelligent  mate  was  of 
his  own  way  of  thinking.  The  necessary  orders  were 
given,  accordingly,  and  everything  was  got  ready  for  its 
execution. 

In  the  meantime,  the  two  revenue  craft  were  much  in 
earnest.  The  schooner  was  one  of  the  fastest  in  the  service, 
and  had  been  placed  under  Montauk,  as  described,  in  the 
confident  expectation  of  her  being  ab^e  to  compete  with  even 
the  Molly  Swash  successfully,  more  especially  if  brought 
upon  a  bowline.  Her  commander  watched  the  receding 
form  of  the  brig  with  the  closest  attention,  until  it  was  en 
tirely  swallowed  up  in  the  darkness,  under  the  land,  towards 
which  he  then  sheered  himself,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
Swash  from  hauling  up,  and  turning  to  windward,  close  in 
undei  the  shadow  of  the  island.  Against  this  manoeuvre, 
however,  the  cutter  had  now  taken  an  effectual  precaution, 
and  her  people  were  satisfied  that  escape  in  that  way  was 
impossible. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  steamer  was  doing  very  well. 
Driven  by  the  breeze,  and  propelled  by  her  wheels,  away 
she  went,  edging  further  and  further  from  the  island,  as  the 
person  from  the  Custom-House  succeeded,  as  it  might  be, 
inch  by  inch,  in  persuading  the  captain  of  the  necessity  of 
his  so  doing.  At  length  a  sail  was  dimly  seen  ahead,  and 
then  no  doubt  was  entertained  that  the  brig  had  got  to  the 
northward  and  eastward  of  them.  Half  an  hour  brought 
the  steamer  alongside  of  this  sail,  which  turned  out  to  be  a 
brig  that  had  come  over  the  shoals,  and  was  beating  into 
the  ocean,  on  her  way  to  one  of  the  southern  ports.  Her 
captain  said  there  had  nothing  passed  to  the  eastward. 

Round  went  the  steamer,  and  in  went  all  her  canvas. 
Ten  minutes  later  the  look-out  saw  a  sail  to  the  westward, 
standing  before  the  wind.  Odd  as  it  might  seem,  the 
steamer's  people  now  fancied  they  were  sure  of  the  Swash. 
There  she  was,  coming  directly  for  them,  with  squared  yards  ! 


94  JACK   TIER; 

The  distance  was  short,  or  a  vessel  could  not  have  been 
seen  by  that  light,  and  the  two  craft  were  soon  near  each 
other.  A  gun  was  actually  cleared  on  board  the  steamer, 
ere  it  was  ascertaine-d  that  the  stranger  was  the  schooner ! 
It  was  now  midnight,  and  nothing  was  in  sight  but  the 
coasting  brig.  Reluctantly,  the  revenue  people  gave  the 
matter  up ;  the  Molly  Swash  having  again  eluded  them, 
though  by  means  unknown. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Leander  dived  for  love.     Leucadia's  cliff 
The  Lesbian  Sappho  leap'd  from  in  a  miff, 
To  punish  Phaon  ;  Icarus  went  dead, 
Because  the  wax  did  not  continue  stiff; 
And,  had  he  minded  what  his  father  said, 
He  had  not  given  a  name  unto  his  watery  bed. 

SANDS. 

WE  must  now  advance  the  time  several  days,  and  change 
the  scene  to  a  distant  part  of  the  ocean  ;  within  the  tropics 
indeed.  The  females  had  suffered  slight  attacks  of  sea 
sickness,  and  recovered  from  them,  and  the  brig  was  safo 
from  all  her  pursuers.  The  manner  of  Spike's  escape  was 
simple  enough,  and  without  any  necromancy.  While  the 
steamer,  on  the  one  hand,  was  standing  away  to  the  north 
ward  and  eastward,  in  order  to  head  him  off,  and  the 
schooner  was  edging  in  with  the  island,  in  order  to  prevent 
his  beating  up  to  windward  of  it,  within  its  shadows,  the 
brig  had  run  close  round  the  northern  margin  of  the  land, 
and  hauled  up  to  leeward  of  the  island,  passing  between  it 
and  the  steamer.  All  this  lime,  her  movements  were  con 
cealed  from  the  schooner  by  the  island  itself,  and  from  the 
steamer,  by  its  shadow  and  dark  back-ground,  aided  by  the 
distance.  By  making  short  tacks,  this  expedient  answered 
perfectly  well ;  and,  at  the  very  moment  when  the  two 
revenue  vessels  met,  at  midnight,  about  three  leagues  to 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  95 

leeward  of  Blok  Island,  the  brigantine,  Molly  Swash,  was 
just  clearing  its  most  \veatherly  point,  on  the  larboard  tack, 
and  coming  out  exactly  at  the  spot  where  the  steamer  was 
when  first  seen  that  afternoon.  Spike  stood  to  the  west 
ward,  until  he  was  certain  of  having  the  island  fairly  be 
tween  him  and  his  pursuers,  when  he  went  about,  and  filled 
away  on  his  course,  running  out  to  sea  again  on  an  easy 
bowline.  At  sunrise  the  next  day  he  was  fifty  miles  to  the 
southward  and  eastward  of  Montauk  ;  the  schooner  was 
going  into  New  London,  her  officers  and  people  quite  chop- 
fallen  ;  and  the  steamer  was  paddling  up  the  Sound,  her 
captain  being  fully  persuaded  that  the  runaways  had  returned 
in  the  direction  from  which  they  had  come,  and  might  yet 
be  picked  up  in  that  quarter. 

The  weather  was  light,  just  a  week  after  the  events  re 
lated  in  the  close  of  the  last  chapter.  By  this  lime  the 
brig  had  got  within  the  influence  of  the  trades ;  and,  it 
being  the  intention  of  Spike  to  pass  to  the  southward  of 
Cuba,  he  had  so  far  profited  by  the  westerly  winds,  as  to 
get  well  to  the  eastward  .of  the  Mona  Passage,  the  strait 
through  which  he  intended  to  shape  his  course  on  making 
the  islands.  Early  on  that  morning  Mrs.  Budd  had  taken 
her  seat  on  the  trunk  of  the  cabin,  with  a  complacent  air, 
and  arranged  her  netting,  some  slight  passages  of  gallantry, 
on  the  part  of  the  captain,  having  induced  her  to  propose 
netting  him  a  purse.  Biddy  was  going  to  and  fro,  in  quest 
of  silks  and  needles,  her  mistress  having  become  slightly 
capricious  in  her  tastes  of  late,  and  giving  her,  on  all  such 
occasions,  at  least  a  double  allowance  of  occupation.  As 
for  Rose,  she  sat  reading  beneath  the  shade  of  the  coach* 
house  deck,  while  the  handsome  young  mate  was  within 
three  feet  of  her,  working  up  his  logarithms,  but  within  the 
sanctuary  of  his  own  state-room;  the  open  door  and  window 
of  which,  however,  gave  him  every  facility  he  could  desire 
to  relieve  his  mathematics,  by  gazing  at  the  sweet  counte 
nance  of  his  charming  neighbor.  Jack  Tier  and  Josh  were 
both  passing  to  and  fro,  as  is  the  wont  of  stewards,  between 
the  camboose  and  the  cabin,  the  breakfast  table  being  j.ust 
then  in  the  course  of  preparation.  In  all  other  respects, 
always  excepting  the  man  at  the  wheel,  who  stood  within  a 
fathom  of  Rose,  Spike  had  the  quarter-deck  to  himself,  and 


96  JACK    TIER; 

did  not  fail  to  pace  its  weather-side  with  an  air  that  denoted 
the  master  and  owner.  After  exhibiting  his  sturdy,  but 
short,  person  in  this  manner,  to  the  admiring  eyes  of  all 
beholders,  for  some  time,  the  captain  suddenly  took  a  seat 
at  the  side  of  the  relict,  and  dropped  into  the  following 
discourse. 

"  The  weather  is  moderate,  Madam  Budd  ;  quite  mqde- 
rate,"  observed  Spike,  a  sentimental  turn  coming  over  him 
at  the  moment.  "  What  I  call  moderate  and  agreeable." 

"  So  much  the  better  for  us ;  the  ladies  are  fond  of 
moderation,  sir." 

"Not  in  admiration,  Madam  Budd  —  ha!  ha!  ha!  no, 
not  in  admiration.  Immoderation  is  what  they  like  when 
it  comes  to  that.  I  'rn  a  single  man,  but  I  know  that  the 
ladies  like  admiration  —  mind  where  you're  sheering  to," 
the  captain  said,  interrupting  himself  a  little  fiercely,  con 
sidering  the  nature  of  the  subject,  in  consequence  of  Jack 
Tier's  having  trodden  on  his  toe  in  passing — "or  I  '11  teach 
you  the  navigation  of  the  quarter-deck,  Mr.  Burgoo!" 

"Moderation  —  moderation,  my  good  captain,"  said  the 
simpering  relict.  "As  to  admiration,  I  confess  that  it  is 
agreeable  to  us  ladies  ;  more  especially  when  it  comes  from 
gentlemen  of  sense,  and  intelligence,  and  experience." 

Rose  fidgeted,  having  heard  every  word  that  was  said, 
and  her  face  flushed  ;  for  she  doubted  not  that  Harry's 
ears  were  as  good  as  her  own.  As  for  the  man  at  the 
wheel,  he  turned  the  tobacco  over  in  his  mouth,  hitched  up 
his  trousers,  and  appeared  interested,  though  somewhat 
mystified  —  the  conversation  was  what  he  would  have 
termed  "  talking  dictionary,"  and  he  had  some  curiosity  to 
learn  how  the  captain  would  work  his  way  out  of  it.  It 
is  probable  that  Spike  himself  had  some  similar  gleamings 
of  the  difficulties  of  his  position,  for  he  looked  a  little 
troubled,  though  still  resolute.  It  was  the  first  time  he  had 
ever  lain  yard-arm  and  yard-arm  with  a  widow,  and  he  had 
long  entertained  a  fancy  that  such  a  situation  was  trying  to 
the  best  of  men. 

"  Yes,  Madam  Budd,  yes,"  he  said,  "  exper'ence  and  sense 
carry  weight  with  'em,  wherever  they  go.  I  'm  glad  to  find 
that  you  entertain  these  just  notions  of  us  gentlemen,  and 
make  a  difference  between  boys  and  them  that's  seen  and 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  97 

known  experience.  For  my  part,  I  count  youngsters  under 
forty  as  so  much  lumber  about  decks,  as  to  any  comfort  and 
calculations  in  keepin'  a  family,  as  a  family  ought  to  be 
kept." 

Mrs.  Budd  looked  interested,  but  she  remained  silent  on 
hearing  this  remark,  as  became  her  sex. 

"  Every  man  ought  to  settle  in  life,  some  time  or  other, 
Madam  Budd,  accordin'  to  my  notion,  though  no  man  ought 
to  be  in  a  boyish  haste  about  it,"  continued  the  captain. 
"  Now,  in  my  own  case,  I  've  been  so  busy  all  my  youth — 
not  that  I'm  very  old  now,  but  I'm  no  boy  —  but  all  my 
younger  days  hav/e  been  passed  in  trying  to  make  things 
meet,  in  a  way  to  put  any  lady  who  might  take  a  fancy  to 
me—" 

"Oh!  captain — that  is  too  strong!  The  ladies  do  not 
take  fancies  for  gentlemen,  but  the  gentlemen  take  fancies 
for  ladies !" 

"Well,  well,  you  know  what  I  mean,  Madam  Budd  ;  and 
so  long  as  the  parties  understand  each  other,  a  word  drop 
ped,  or  a  word  put  into  a  charter-party,  makes  it  neither 
stronger  nor  weaker.  There's  a  time,  howsomever,  in  every 
man's  life,  when  he  begins  to  think  of  settling  down,  and 
of  considerin'  himself  as  a  sort  of  mooring-chain,  for 
children  and  the  likes  of  them  to  make  fast  to.  Such  is 
my  natur',  I  will  own  j  and  ever  since  I  've  got  to  be  inti 
mate  in  your  family,  Madam  Budd,  that  sentiment  has 
grown  stronger  and  stronger  in  me,  till  it  has  got  to  be 
uppermost  in  all  my  idees.  Bone  of  my  bone,  and  flesh  of 
my  flesh,  as  a  body  might  say." 

Mrs.  Budd  now  looked  more  than  interested,  for  she 
looked  a  little  confused,  and  Rose  began  to  tremble  for  her 
aunt.  It  was  evident  that  the  parties  most  conspicuous  in, 
this  scene  were  not  at  all  conscious  that  they  were  over 
heard,  the  intensity  of  their  attention  being  too  much  con 
centrated  on  what  was  passing  to  allow  of  any  observation 
without  their  own  narrow  circle.  What  may  be  thought 
still  more  extraordinary,  but  what  in  truth  was  the  most 
natural  of  all,  each  of  the  parties  was  so  intently  bent  on 
his,  or  her,  own  train  of  thought,  that  neither  in  the  least 
suspected  any  mistake. 

"  Grown  with  your  growth,  and  strengthened  with  your 
9 


98  JACKTIER; 

strength,"  rejoined  the  relict,  smiling  kindly  enough  on  the 
captain  to  have  encouraged  a  much  more  modest  man  than 
he  happened  to  be. 

"Yes,  Madam  Budd  —  very  just  that  remark;  grown 
with  my  strength,  and  strengthened  with  my  growth,  as 
one  might  say ;  though  I  've  not  done  much  at  growing  for 
a  good  many  years.  Your  late  husband,  Captain  Budd,  often 
remarked  how  very  early  I  got  my  growth ;  and  rated  me 
as  an  '  able-bodied'  hand,  when  most  lads  think  it  an  honour 
to  be  placed  among  the  *  or'naries.' " 

The  relict  looked  grave  ;  and  she  wondered  at  any  man's 
being  so  singular  as  to  allude  to  a  first  husband,  at  the  very 
moment  he  was  thinking  of  offering  himself  for  a  second. 
As  for  herself,  she  had  not  uttered  as  many  words  in  the 
last  four  years,  as  she  had  uttered  in  that  very  conversation, 
without  making  some  allusion  to  her  "  poor  dear  Mr.  Budd." 
The  reader  is  not  to  do  injustice  to  the  captain's  widow, 
however,  by  supposing  for  a  moment  that  she  was  actually 
so  weak  as  to  feel  any  tenderness  for  a  man  like  Spike, 
which  would  be  doing  a  great  wrong  to  both  her  taste  and 
her  judgment,  as  Rose  well  knew,  even  while  most  annoyed 
by  the  conversation  she  could  not  but  overhear.  All  that 
influenced  the  good  relict  was  that  besetting  weakness  of 
her  sex,  which  renders  admiration  so  universally  acceptable; 
and  predisposes  a  female,  as  it  might  be,  to  listen  to  a  suitor 
with  indulgence,  and  some  little  show  of  kindness,  even 
when  resolute  to  reject  him.  As  for  Rose,  to  own  the  truth, 
her  aunt  did  not  give  her  a  thought,  as  yet,  notwithstanding 
Spike  was  getting  to  be  so  sentimental. 

"  Yes,  your  late  excellent  and  honourable  consort  always 
said  that  I  got  my  growth  sooner  than  any  youngster  he 
ever  fell  in  with,"  resumed  the  captain,  after  a  short  pause  ; 
exciting  fresh  wonder  in  his  companion,  that  he  would  per 
sist  in  lugging  in  the  "  dear  departed"  so  very  unseasonably. 
"  I  am  a  great  admirer  of  all  the  Budd  family,  my  good 
lady,  and  only  wish  my  connection  with  it  had  never  tarmi- 
nated  ;  if  tarminated  it  can  be  called." 

"  It  need  not  be  terminated,  Captain  Spike,  so  long  as 
friendship  exists  in  the  human  heart." 

"Ay,  so  it  is  always  with  you  ladies;  when  a  man  is 
bent  on  suthin'  closer  and  more  interestin'  like,  you  're  for 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  99 

putting  it  off  on  friendship.  Now  friendship  is  good  enough 
in  its  way,  Madam  Budd,  but  friendship  is  n't  love" 

llLove!"  echoed  the  widow,  fairly  starting,  though  she 
looked  down  at  her  netting,  and  looked  as  confused  as  she 
knew  how.  "  That  is  a  very  decided  word,  Captain  Spike, 
and  should  never  be  mentioned  to  a  woman's  ear  lightly." 

So  the  captain  now  appeared  to  think,  too,  for  no  soonei 
had  he  delivered  himself  of  the  important  monosyllable, 
than  he  left  the  widow's  side,  and  began  to  pace  the  deck, 
as  it  might  be  to  moderate  his  own  ardour.  As  for  Rose, 
she  blushed,  if  her  more  practised  aunt  did  not ;  while  Harry 
Mulford  laughed  heartily,  taking  good  care,  however,  not 
to  be  heard.  The  man  at  the  wheel  turned  the  tobacco 
again,  gave  his  trousers  another  hitch,  and  wondered  anew 
whither  the  skipper  was  bound.  But  the  drollest  manifesta 
tion  of  surprise  came  from  Josh,  the  steward,  who  was 
passing  along  the  lee-side  of  the  quarter-deck,  with  a  tea 
pot  in  his  hand,  when  the  energetic  manner  of  the  captain 
sent  the  words  "  friendship  is  n't  love"  to  his  ears.  This 
induced  him  to  stop  for  a  single  instant,  and  to  cast  a  won 
dering  glance  behind  him  ;  after  which  he  moved  on  toward 
the  galley,  mumbling  as  he  went  —  "  Lub  !  what  he  want 
of  lub,  or  what  lub  want  of  him!  Well,  I  do  t'ink  Captain 
Spike  bowse  his  jib  out  pretty  'arly  dis  mornin'." 

Captain  Spike  soon  got  over  the  effects  of  his  effort,  and 
the  confusion  of  the  relict  did  not  last  any  material  length 
of  time.  As  the  former  had  gone  so  far,  however,  he 
thought  the  present  an  occasion  as  good  as  another  to  bring 
matters  to  a  crisis. 

"  Our  sentiments  sometimes  get  to  be  so  strong,  Madam 
Budd,"  resumed  the  lover,  as  he  took  his  seat  again  on  the 
trunk,  "that  they  run  away  with  us.  Men  is  liable  to  be 
run  away  with  as  well  as  ladies.  I  once  had  a  ship  run 
away  with  me,  and  a  pretty  time  we  had  of  it.  Did  you 
ever  hear  of  a  ship's  running  away  with  her  people,  Madam 
Budd,  just  as  your  horse  ran  away  with  your  buggy  ?" 

"  I  suppose  I  must  have  heard  of  such  things,  sir,  my 
education  having  been  so  maritime,  though  just  at  this  mo 
ment  I  cannot  recall  an  instance.  When  my  horse  ran 
away,  the  buggy  was  cap-asided.  Did  your  vessel  cap- 
aside  on  the  occasion  you  mention  ?" 


100  JACK   TIER; 

"No,  Madam  Budd,  no.  The  ship  was  off  the  wind  at 
the  time  I  mean,  and  vessels  do  not  capsize  when  off  the 
wind.  I  '11  tell  you  how  it  happened.  We  was  a  scuddin' 
under  a  goose- wing  foresail — " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  interrupted  the  relict,  eagerly.  "  I  've  often 
heard  of  that  sail,  which  is  small,  and  used  only  in  tem 
pests." 

"  Heavy  weather,  Madam  Budd — only  in  heavy  weather." 

"  It  is  amazing  to  me,  captain,  how  you  seamen  manage 
to  weigh  the  weather.  I  have  often  heard  of  light  weather 
and  heavy  weather,  but  never  fairly  understood  the  manner 
of  weighing  it." 

"Why  we  do  make  out  to  ascertain  the  difference,"  re 
plied  the  captain,  a  little  puzzled  for  an  answer;  "and  I 
suppose  it  must  be  by  means  of  the  barometer,  which  goes 
up  and  down  like  a  pair  of  scales.  But  the  time  I  mean, 
we  was  a  scuddin'  under  a  goose-wing  foresail — " 

'*  A  sail  made  of  goose's  wings,  and  a  beautiful  object  it 
must  be ;  like  some  of  the  caps  and  cloaks  that  come  from 
the  islands,  which  are  all  of  feathers,  and  charming  objects 
are  they.  I  beg  pardon  —  you  had  your  goose's  wings 
spread — " 

"Yes,  Madam  Budd,  yes;  we  was  steering  for  a  Medi 
terranean  port,  intending  to  clear  a  mole-head,  when  a  sea 
took  us  under  the  larboard-quarter,  gave  us  such  a  sheer 
to-port  as  sent  our  cat-head  ag'in  a  spile,  and  raked  away 
the  chain-plates  of  the  top- mast  back-stays,  bringing  down 
all  the  forrard  hamper  about  our  ears." 

This  description  produced  such  a  confusion  in  the  mind 
of  the  widow,  that  she  was  glad  when  it  came  to  an  end. 
As  for  the  captain,  fearful  that  the  "  goose's  wings"  might 
be  touched  upon  again,  he  thought  it  wisest  to  attempt 
another  flight  on  those  of  Cupid. 

"As  I  was  sayin',  Madam  Budd,  friendship  isn't  love;  no, 
not  a  bit  of  it !  Friendship  is  a  common  sort  of  feelin' : 
but  love,  as  you  must  know  by  exper'ence,  Madam  Budd,  is 
an  uncommon  sort  of  feelin'." 

"Fie,  Captain  Spike,  gentlemen  should  never  allude  to 
ladies  knowing  any  thing  about  love.  Ladies  respect,  and 
admire,  and  esteem,  and  have  a  regard,  for  gentlemen ;  but 
it  is  almost  too  strong  to  talk  about  their  love." 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  101 

"Yes,  Madam  Budd,  yes ;  I  dare  say  it  is  so,  and  ought 
to  be  so ;  and  I  ask  pardon  for  having  said  as  much  as  I 
did.  But  my  love  for  your  niece  is  of  so  animated  and 
lastin'  a  natur',  that  I  scarce  know  what  I  did  say." 

"  Captain  Spike,  you  amaze  me !  I  declare  I  can  hardly 
breathe  for  astonishment.  My  niece !  Surely  you  do  not 
mean  Rosy !" 

"Who  else  should  I  mean?  My  love  for  Miss  Rose  is 
so  very  decided  and  animated,  I  tell  you,  Madam  Budd, 
that  I  will  not  answer  for  the  consequences,  should  you  not 
consent  to  her  marryin'  me." 

"  I  can  scarce  believe  my  ears !  You,  Stephen  Spike, 
and  an  old  friend  of  her  uncle's,  wishing  to  marry  his 
niece  !" 

"Just  so,  Madam  Budd;  that's  it,  to  a  shavin'.  The 
regard  I  have  for  the  whole  family  is  so  great,  that  nothin' 
less  than  the  hand  of  Miss  Rose  in  marriage  can,  what  I 
call,  mitigate  my  feelin's." 

Now  the  relict  had  not  one  spark  of  tenderness  herself 
in  behalf  of  Spike ;  while  she  did  love  Rose  better  than 
any  human  being,  her  own  self  excepted.  But  she  had 
viewed  all  the  sentiment  of  that  morning,  and  all'the  fine 
speeches  of  the  captain,  very  differently  from  what  the  pre 
sent  state  of  things  told  her  she  ought  to  have  viewed  them  ; 
and  she  felt  the  mortification  natural  to  her  situation.  The 
captain  was  so  much  bent  on  the  attainment  of  his  own 
object,  that  he  saw  nothing  else,  and  was  even  unconscious 
that  his  extraordinary  and  somewhat  loud  discourse  had 
been  overheard.  Least  of  all  did  he  suspect  that  his  ad 
miration  had  been  mistaken ;  and  that  in  what  he  called 
"courtin"'  the  niece,  he  had  been  all  the  while  "courtin"' 
the  aunt.  But  little  apt  as  she  was  to  discover  any  thing, 
Mrs.  Budd  had  enough  of  her  sex's  discernment  in  a  matter 
of  this  sort,  to  perceive  that  she  had  fallen  into  an  awkward 
mistake,  and  enough  of  her  sex's  pride  to  resent  it.  Taking 
her  work  in  her  hand,  she  left  her  seat,  and  descended  to 
the  cabin,  with  quite  as  much  dignity  in  her  manner  as  it 
was  in  the  power  of  one  of  her  height  and  "  build"  to  ex 
press.  What  is  the  most  extraordinary,  neither  she  nor 
Spike  ever  ascertained  that  their  whole  dialogue  had  been 
overheard.  Spike  continued  to  pace  the  quarter-deck  for 
9  * 


JACK    TIER; 

several  minutes,  scarce  knowing  what  to  think  of  the  relict's 
manner,  when  his  attention  was  suddenly  drawn  to  other 
matters  by  the  familiar  cry  of  "  sail-ho  !" 

This  was  positively  the  first  vessel  with  which  the  Molly 
Swash  had  fallen  in  since  she  lost  sight  of  two  or  three  craft 
that  nad  passed  her  in  the  distance,  as  she  left  the  American 
coast.  As  usual,  this  cry  brought  all  hands  on  deck,  and 
Mulfora  out  of  his  state-room. 

It  has  been  stated  already  that  the  brig  was  just  beginning 
to  feel  the  trades,  and  it  might  have  been  added,  to  see  the 
mountains  of  San  Domingo.  The  winds  had  been  variable 
for  the  last  day  or  two,  arid  they  still  continued  light,  and 
disposed  to  be  unsteady,  ranging  from  north-east  to  south 
east,  with  a  preponderance  in  favour  of  the  first  point.  At 
the  cry  of  "  sail-ho !"  everybody  looked  in  the  indicated 
direction,  which  was  west,  a  little  northerly,  but  for  a  long 
time  without  success.  The  cry  had  come  from  aloft,  and 
Mulford  went  up  as  high  as  the  fore-top  before  he  got  any 
glimpse  of  the  stranger  at  all.  He  had  slung  a  glass,  and 
Spike  was  unusually  anxious  to  know  the  result  of  his  exa 
mination. 

"Well,  Mr.  Mulford,  what  do  you  make  of  her?"  ho 
called  out  as  soon  as  the  mate  announced  that  he  saw  the 
strange  vessel. 

"  Wait  a  moment,  sir,  till  I  get  a  look, — she 's  a  long  way 
off,  and  hardly  visible." 

"Well,  sir,  well?" 

"  I  can  only  see  the  heads  of  her  top-gallant  sails.  She 
seems  a  ship  steering  to  the  southward,  with  as  many  kites 
flying  as  an  Indiaman  in  the  trades.  She  looks  as  if  she 
were  carrying  royal  stun'-sails,  sir." 

"  The  devil  she  does  !  Such  a  chap  must  not  only  be  in 
a  hurry,  but  he  must  be  strong-handed  to  give  himself  all 
this  trouble  in  such  light  and  var'able  winds.  Are  his  yards 
square? — Is  he  man-of-war-ish  ?" 

"  There 's  no  telling,  sir,  at  this  distance  ;  though  I  rather 
think  its  stun'-sails  that  I  see.  '  Go  down  and  get  your 
breakfast,  and  in  half  an  hour  I'll  give  a  better  account  of 
him." 

This  was  done,  Mrs.  Budd  appearing  at  the  table  with 
great  dignity  in  her  manner.  Although  she  had  so  natu- 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  103 

rally  supposed  that  Spike's  attentions  had  been  intended  for 
herself,  she  was  rather  mortified  than  hurt  on  discovering 
her  mistake.  Her  appetite,  consequently,  was  not  impaired, 
though  her  stomach  might  have  been  said  to  be  very  full. 
The  meal  passed  off  without  any  scene,  notwithstanding, 
and  Spike  soon  re-appeared  on  deck,  still  masticating  the 
last  mouthful  like  a  man  in  a  hurry,  and  a  good  deal  d 
V Americaine.  Mulford  saw  his  arrival,  and  immediately 
levelled  his  glass  again. 

"Well,  what  news  now,  sir?"  called  out  the  captain. 
"  You  must  have  a  better  chance  at  him  by  this  time,  for  I 
can  see  the  chap  from  off  the  coach-house  here." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir ;  he 's  a  bit  nearer,  certainly.  I  should  say 
that  craft  is  a  ship  under  stun'-sails,  looking  to  the  eastward 
of  south,  and  that  there  are  caps  with  gold  bands  on  her 
quarter-deck." 

"  How  low  down  can  you  see  her  ?"  demanded  Spike,  in 
a  voice  of  thunder. 

So  emphatic  and  remarkable  was  the  captain's  manner  in 
putting  this  question,  that  the  mate  cast  a  look  of  surprise 
beneath  him  ere  he  answered  it.  A  look  with  the  glass  suc 
ceeded,  when  the  reply  was  given. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir ;  there  can  be  no  mistake  —  it 's  a  cruiser, 
you  may  depend  on  it.  I  can  see  the  heads  of  her  topsails 
now,  and  they  are  so  square  and  symmetrical,  that  gold 
bands  are  below  beyond  all  doubt." 

"  Perhaps  he 's  a  Frenchman  —  Johnny  Crapaud  keeps 
cruisers  in  these  seas  as  well  as  the  rest  on 'em." 

''•Johnny  Crapaud's  craft  don't  spread  such  arms,  sir. 
The  ship  is  either  English  or  American  ;  and  he  's  heading 
for  the  Mona  Passage  as  well  as  ourselves." 

"  Come  down,  sir,  come  down — there 's  work  to  be  done 
as  soon  as  you  have  breakfasted." 

Mulford  did  come  down,  and  he  was  soon  seated  at  the 
table,  with  both  Josh  and  Jack  Tier  for  attendants.  The 
aunt  and  the  niece  were  in  their  own  cabin,  a  few  yards  dis 
tant,  with  the  door  open. 

"  What  a  fuss  'e  cap'in  make  'bout  dat  sail,"  grumbled 
Josh,  who  had  been  in  the  brig  so  long  that  he  sometimes 
took  liberties  with  even  Spike  himself.  "  What  good  he 
t'ink  t'will  do  to  measure  him  inch  by  inch  ?  Bye'm  by  he 


104  JACK  TIER; 

get  alongside,  and   den  'e  ladies  even  can   tell   all   about 
him." 

"  He  nat'rally  wishes  to  know  who  gets  alongside,"  put 
in  Tier,  somewhat  apologetically. 

"  What  matter  dat.  All  sort  of  folk  get  alongside  of  Molly 
Swash  ;  and  what  good  it  do  'em  ?  Yoh !  yoh  !  yoh !  I  do 
remem'er  sich  times  vid  'e  ole  hussy  {" 

"  What  old  hussy  do  you  mean  1"  demanded  Jack  Tier  a 
little  fiercely,  and  in  a  way  to  draw  Mulford's  eyes  from  the 
profile  of  Rose's  face  to  the  visages  of  his  two  attendants. 

"  Come,  come,  gentlemen,  if  you  please ;  recollect  where 
you  are,"  interrupted  the  mate  authoritatively.  "  You  are 
not  now  squabbling  in  your  galley,  but  are  in  the  cabin. 
What  is  it  to  you,  Tier,  if  Josh  does  call  the  brig  an  old 
hussy  ;  she  is  old,  as  we  all  know,  and  years  are  respecta 
ble  ;  and  as  for  her  being  a  '  hussy,'  that  is  a  term  of  en 
dearment  sometimes.  I  've  heard  the  captain  himself  call 
the  Molly  a  c  hussy,'  fifty  times,  and  he  loves  her  as  he 
does  the  apple  of  his  eye." 

This  interference  put  an  end  to  the  gathering  storm  as  a 
matter  of  course,  and  the  two  disputants  shortly  after  passed 
on  deck.  No  sooner  was  the  coast  clear  than  Rose  stood 
in  the  door  of  her  own  cabin. 

"  Do  you  think  the  strange  vessel  is  an  American  ?"  she 
asked  eagerly. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  say — English  or  American  I  make 
no  doubt.  But  why  do  you  inquire?" 

"Both  my  aunt  and  myself  desire  to  quit  the  brig,  and  if 
the  stranger  should  prove  to  be  an  American  vessel  of  war, 
might  not  the  occasion  be  favourable?" 

"And  what  reason  can  you  give  for  desiring  to  do  so?" 

"  What  signifies  a  reason,"  answered  Rose  with  spirit. 
"  Spike  is  not  our  master,  and  we  can  come  and  go  as  we 
may  see  fit." 

"  But  a  reason  must  be  given  to  satisfy  the  commander 
of  the  vessel  of  war.  Craft  of  that  character  are  very  par 
ticular  about  the  passengers  they  receive;  nor  would  it  be 
altogether  wise  in  two  unprotected  females  to  go  on  board 
a  cruiser,  unless  in  a  case  of  the  most  obvious  necessity." 

"  Will  not  what  has  passed  this  morning  be  thought  a 
sufficient  reason,"  added  Rose,  drawing  nearer  to  the  mate, 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  105 

and   dropping   her  voice   so   as  not  to  be  heard  by  her 
aunt. 

Mulford  smiled  as  he  gazed  at  the  earnest  but  attractive 
countenance  of  his  charming  companion. 

"  And  who  could  tell  it,  or  how  could  it  be  told  ?  Would 
the  commander  of  a  vessel  of  war  incur  the  risk  of  receiving 
such  a  person  as  yourself  on  board  his  vessel,  for  the  reason 
that  the  master  of  the  craft  she  was  in  when  he  fell  in  with 
her  desired  to  marry  her?" 

Rose  appeared  vexed,  but  she  was  at  once  made  sensible 
that  it  was  not  quite  as  easy  to  change  her  vessel  at  sea,  as 
to  step  into  a  strange  door  in  a  town.  She  drew  slowly 
back  into  her  own  cabin  silent  and  thoughtful ;  her  aunt 
pursuing  her  netting  the  whole  time  with  an  air  of  dignified 
industry. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Mulford,  well,"  called  out  Spike  at  the  head 
of  the  cabin  stairs,  "  what  news  from  the  coffee?" 

*'  All  ready,  sir,"  answered  the  mate,  exchanging  signifi 
cant  glances  with  Rose.  "  I  shall  be  up  in  a  moment." 

That  moment  soon  came,  and  Mulford  was  ready  for 
duty.  While  below,  Spike  had  caused  ceitain  purchases 
to  be  got  aloft,  and  the  main-hatch  was  open  and  the  men 
collected  around  it,  in  readiness  to  proceed  with  the  work. 
Harry  asked  no  questions,  for  the  preparations  told  him 
what  was  about  to  be  done,  but  passing  below,  he  took 
charge  of  the  duty  there,  while  the  captain  superintended 
the  part  that  was  conducted  on  deck.  In  the  course  of  the 
next  hour  eight  twelve-pound  carronades  were  sent,  up  out 
of  the  hold,  and  mounted  in  as  many  of  the  ports  which 
lined  the  bulwarks  of  the  brigantine.  The  men  seemed  to 
be  accustomed  to  the  sort  of  work  in  which  they  were  now 
engaged,  and  soon  had  their  light  batteries  in  order,  and 
ready  for  service.  In  the  mean  time  the  two  vessels  kept 
on  their  respective  courses,  and  by  the  time  the  guns  were 
mounted,  there  was  a  sensible  difference  in  their  relative 
positions.  The  stranger  had  drawn  so  near  the  brigantine 
as  to  be  very  obvious  from  the  latter's  deck,  while  the  brig 
antine  had  drawn  so  much  nearer  to  the  islands  of  San 
Domingo  and  Porto  Rico,  as  to  render  the  opening  between 
them,  the  well-known  Mona  Passage,  distinctly  visible. 
Of  all  this  Spike  appeared  to  be  fully  aware,  for  he  quitted 


106  JACK  TIER; 

the  work  several  times  before  it  was  finished,  in  order  to 
take  a  look  at  the  stranger,  and  at  the  land.  When  the 
batteries  were  arranged,  he  and  Mulford,  each  provided  with 
a  glass,  gave  a  few  minutes  to  a  more  deliberate  examina 
tion  of  the  first. 

"  That 's  the  Mona  ahead  of  us,"  said  the  captain  ;  "  of 
that  there  can  be  no  question,  and  a  very  pretty  land-fail 
you  've  made  of  it,  Harry.  I  '11  allow  you  to  be  as  good  a 
navigator  as  floats." 

"  Nevertheless,  sir,  you  have  not  seen  n't  to  let  me  know 
whither  the  brig  is  really  bound  this  voyage." 

"  No  matter  for  that,  young  man — no  matter,  as  yet. 
All  in  good  time.  When  I  tell  you  to  lay  your  course  for 
the  Mona,  you  can  lay  your  course  for  the  Mona  ;  and,  as 
soon  as  we  are  through  the  passage,  I  '11  let  you  know  what 
is  wanted  next — if  that  bloody  chap,  who  is  nearing  us, 
will  let  me." 

"  And  why  should  any  vessel  wish  to  molest  us  on  our 
passage,  Captain  Spike?" 

"  Why,  sure  enough  !  It 's  war-times,  you  know,  and 
war-times  always  bring  trouble  to  the  trader — though  it 
sometimes  brings  profit,  too." 

As  Spike  concluded,  he  gave  his  mate  a  knowing  wink, 
which  the  other  understood  to  mean  that  he  expected  him 
self  some  of  the  unusual  profit  to  which  he  alluded.  Mul 
ford  did  not  relish  this  secret  communication,  for  the  past 
had  induced  him  to  suspect  the  character  of  the  trade  in 
which  his  commander  was  accustomed  to  engage.  Without 
making  any  sort  of  reply,  or  encouraging  the  confidence  by 
even  a  smile,  he  levelled  his  glass  at  the  stranger,  as  did 
Spike,  the  instant  he  ceased  to  grin. 

"  That 's  one  of  Uncle  Sam's  fellows !"  exclaimed  the 
captain,  dropping  the  glass.  "I'd  swear  to  the  chap  in 
any  admiralty  court  on  "arth." 

"  'T  is  a  vessel  of  war,  out  of  all  doubt,"  returned  the 
mate,  "  and  under  a  cloud  of  canvas.  I  can  make  out  the 
heads  of  her  courses  now,  and  see  that  she  is  carrying  hard, 
for  a  craft  that  is  almost  close-hauled." 

"  Ay,  ay ;  no  merchantmen  keeps  his  light  stun'-sails 
set,  as  near  the  wind  as  that  fellow's  going.  He's  a  big 
chap,  too — a  frigate,  at  least,  by  his  canvas." 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  107 

"  I  do  not  know,  sir — they  build  such  heavy  corvettes 
now-a-days,  that  I  should  rather  take  her  for  one  of  them. 
They  tell  me  ships  are  now  sent  to  sea  which  mount  only 
two-and-twenty  guns,  but  which  measure  quite  a  thousand 
tons." 

"  With  thunderin'  batteries,  of  course." 

"  With  short  thirty-twos  and  a  few  rapping  sixty-eight 
Paixhans — or  Columbiads,  as  they  ought  in  justice  to  bo 
called." 

"  And  you  think  this  chap  likely  to  be  a  craft  of  that  sort?" 

"  Nothing  is  more  probable,  sir.  Government  has  seve 
ral,  and,  since  this  war  has  commenced,  it  has  been  sending 
off  cruiser  after  cruiser  into  the  Gulf.  The  Mexicans  dare 
not  send  a  vessel  of  war  to  sea,  which  would  be  sending 
them  to  Norfolk,  or  New  York,  at  once ;  but  no  one  can 
say  when  they  may  begin  to  make  a  prey  of  our  commerce." 

"  They  have  taken  nothing  as  yet,  Mr.  Mulford,  and,  to 
tell  you  the  truth,  I  'd  much  rather  fall  in  with  one  of  Don 
Montezuma's  craft  than  one  of  Uncle  Sam's." 

"  That  is  a  singular  taste,  for  an  American,  Captain 
Spike,  unless  you  think,  now  our  guns  are  mounted,  we 
can  handle  a  Mexican,"  returned  Mulford  coldly.  "  At  all 
events,  it  is  some  answer  to  those  who  ask  «  What  is  the 
navy  about?'  that  months  of  war  have  gone  by,  and  not  an 
American  has  been  captured.  Take  away  that  navy,  and 
the  insurance  offices  in  Wall-street  would  tumble  like  a  New 
York  party-wall  in  a  fire." 

"  Nevertheless,  I  'd  rather  take  my  chance,  just  now, 
with  Don  Montezuma  than  with  Uncle  Sam." 

Mulford  did  not  reply,  though  the  earnest  manner  in 
which  Spike  expressed  himself,  helped  to  increase  his  dis 
trust  touching  the  nature  of  the  voyage.  With  him  the 
captain  had  no  further  conference,  but  it  was  different  as 
respects  the  boatswain.  That  worthy  was  called  aft,  and 
for  half  an  hour  he  and  Spike  were  conversing  apart,  keep 
ing  their  eyes  fastened  on  the  strange  vessel  most  of  the 
time. 

It  was  noon  before  all  uncertainty  touching  the  character 
of  the  stranger  ceased.  By  that  time,  however,  both  vessels 
were  entering  the  Mona  Passage ;  the  brig  well  to  wind 
ward,  on  the  Porto  Rico  side  ,•  while  the  ship  was  so  far  to 


108  JACK  TIER; 

leeward  as  to  be  compelled  to  keep  everything  close-hauled, 
in  order  to  weather  the  island.  The  hull  of  the  last  could 
now  be  seen,  and  no  doubt  was  entertained  about  her  being 
a  cruiser,  and  one  of  some  size,  too.  Spike  thought  she 
was  a  frigate  ;  but  Mulford  still  inclined  to  the  opinion  that 
she  was  one  of  the  new  ships ;  perhaps  a  real  corvette,  or 
with  a  light  spar-deck  over  her  batteries.  Two  or  three  of 
the  new  vessels  were  known  to  be  thus  fitted,  and  this  might 
be  one.  At  length  all  doubt  on  the  subject  ceased,  the 
stranger  setting  an  American  ensign,  and  getting  so  near  as 
to  make  it  apparent  that  she  had  but  a  single  line  of  guns. 
Still  she  was  a  large  ship,  and  the  manner  that  she  ploughed 
through  the  brine,  close-hauled  as  she  was,  extorted  admi 
ration  even  from  Spike. 

"  We  had  better  begin  to  shorten  sail,  Mr.  Mulford,"  the 
captain  at  length  most  reluctantly  remarked.  "  We  might 
give  the  chap  the  slip,  perhaps,  by  keeping  close  in  under 
Porto  Rico,  but  he  would  give  us  a  long  chase,  and  might 
drive  us  away  to  windward,  when  I  wish  to  keep  off  between 
Cuba  and  Jamaica.  He's  a  traveller;  look,  how  he  stands 
up  to  it  under  that  cloud  of  canvas  !" 

Mulford  vvas  slow  to  commence  on  the  studding-sails,  and 
the  cruiser  was  getting  nearer  and  nearer.  At  length  a  gun 
was  fired,  and  a  heavy  shot  fell  about  two  hundred  yards 
short  of  the  brig,  and  a  little  out  of  line  with  her.  On  this 
hint,  Spike  turned  the  hands  up,  and  began  to  shorten  sail. 
In  ten  minutes  the  Swash  was  under  her  topsail,  mainsail 
and  jib,  with  her  light  sails  hanging  in  the  gear,  and  all  the 
steering  canvas  in.  In  ten  minutes  more  the  cruiser  was 
so  near  as  to  admit  of  the  faces  of  the  three  or  four  men 
whose  heads  were  above  the  hammock-cloths  being  visible, 
when  she  too  began  to  fold  her  wings.  In  went  her  royals, 
topgallant-sails,  and  various  kites,  as  it  might  be  by  some 
common  muscular  agency ;  and  up  went  her  courses. 
Everything  was  done  at  once.  By  this  time  s'he  was  cross 
ing  the  brig's  wake,  looking  exceedingly  beautiful,  with  her 
topsails  lifting,  her  light  sails  blowing  out,  and  even  her 
heavy  courses  fluttering  in  the  breeze.  There  flew  the 
glorious  stars  and  stripes  also;  of  brief  existence,  but  full 
of  recollections  !  The  moment  she  had  room,  her  helm 
went  up,  her  bows  fell  off,  and  down  she  came,  on  the 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  109 

weather  quarter  of  the  Swash,  so  near  as  to  render  a  trumpet 
nearly  useless. 

On  board  the  brig  everybody  was  on  deck ;  even  the 
relict  having  forgotten  her  mortification  .in  curiosity.  On 
board  the  cruiser  no  one  was  visible,  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  men  in  each  top,  and  a  group  of  gold-banded  caps  on 
the  poop.  Among  these  officers  stood  the  captain,  a  red- 
faced,  middle-aged  man,  with  the  usual  signs  of  his  rank 
about  him ;  and  at  his  side  was  his  lynx-eyed  first  lieuten 
ant.  The  surgeon  and  purser  were  also  there,  though  they 
stood  a  little  apart  from  the  more  nautical  dignitaries.  The 
hail  that  followed  came  out  of  a  trumpet  that  was  thrust 
through  the  mizzen-rigging ;  the  officer  who  used  it  taking 
his  cue  from  the  poop. 

"  What  brig  is  that?"  commenced  the  discourse. 

"  The  Molly  Swash,  of  New  York,  Stephen  Spike, 
master." 

"  Where  from,  and  whither  bound?" 

"From  N(,nv  York,  and  bound  to  Key  West  and  a  market." 

A  pause  succeeded  this  answer,  during  which  the  officers 
on  the  poop  of  the  cruiser  held  some  discourse  with  him  of 
the  trumpet.  During  the  interval  the  cruiser  ranged  fairly 
up  abeam. 

"  You  are  well  to  windward  of  your  port,  sir,"  observed 
he  of  the  trumpet  significantly. 

"  I  know  it ;  but  it 's  war  times,  and  I  didn't  know  but 
there  might  be  piccaroons  hovering  about  the  Havanna." 

"  The  coast  is  clear,  and  our  cruisers  will  keep  it  so.  I 
see  you  have  a  battery,  sir !" 

"Ay,  ay  ;  some  old  guns  that  I  've  had  aboard  these  ten 
years:  they're  useful,  sometimes,  in  these  seas." 

"Very  true.  I'll  range  ahead  of  you,  and  as  soon  as 
you've  room,  I  'II  thank  you  to  heave-to.  I  wish  to  send  a 
boat  on  board  you." 

Spike  was  sullen  enough  on  receiving  this  order,  but  there 
was  no  help  for  it.  He  was  now  in  the  jaws  of  the  lion,  and 
his  wisest  course  was  to  submit  to  the  penalties  of  his  posi 
tion  with  the  best  grace  he  could.  The  necessary  orders 
were  consequently  given,  and  the  brig  no  sooner  got  room 
\han  she  came  by  the  wind  and  backed  her  topsail.  The 
cruiser  went  about,  and  passing  to  windward,  backed  her 

VOL.  I  —10 


110  JACK  TIER; 

main-topsail  just  forward  of  the  Swash's  oeam.  Then  the 
latter  lowered  a  boat,  and  sent  it,  with  a  lieutenant  and  a 
midshipman  in  its  stern-sheets,  on  board  the  brigantine.  As 
the  cutter  approached,  Spike  went  to  the  gangway  to  receive 
the  strangers. 

Although  there  will  be  frequent  occasion  to  mention  this 
cruiser,  the  circumstances  are  of  so  recent  occurrence,  that 
we  do  not  choose  to  give  either  her  name,  or  that  of  any 
one  belonging  to  her.  We  shall,  consequently,  tell  the 
curious,  who  may  be  disposed  to  turn  to  their  navy-lists  and 
blue-books,  that  the  search  will  be  of  no  use,  as  all  the 
names  we  shall  use,  in  reference  to  this  cruiser,  will  be  ficti 
tious.  As  much  of  the  rest  of  our  story  as  the  reader  please 
may  be  taken  for  gospel ;  but  we  tell  him  frankly,  that  we 
have  thought  it  most  expedient  to  adopt  assumed  names,  in 
connection  with  this  vessel  and  all  her  officers.  There  are 
good  reasons  for  so  doing ;  and,  among  others,  is  that  of 
abstaining  from  arming  a  clique  to  calumniate  her  com 
mander,  (who,  by  the  way,  like  another  commander  in  the 
Gulf  that  might  be  named,  and  who  has  actually  been  ex 
posed  to  the  sort  of  tracasscrie  to  which  there  is  allusion,  is 
one  of  the  very  ablest  men  in  the  service,)  in  order  to  put 
another  in  his  place. 

rThe  officer  who  now  came  over  the  side  of  the  Swash 
we  shall  call  Wallace ;  he  was  the  second  lieutenant  of  tha 
vessel  of  war.  He  was  about  thirty,  and  the  midshipman 
who  followed  him  was  a  well-grown  lad  of  nineteen.  Both 
had  a  decided  man-of-war  look,  and  both  looked  a  little 
curiously  at  the  vessel  they  had  boarded. 

"  Your  servant,  sir,"  said  Wallace,  touching  his  cap  in 
reply  to  Spike's  somewhat  awkward  bow.  "  Your  brig  is 
the  Molly  Swash,  Stephen  Spike,  bound  from  New  York  to 
Key  West  and  a  market." 

"  You  've  got  it  all  as  straight,  lieutenant,  as  if  you  was 
a  readin'  it  from  the  log." 

"  The  next  thing,  sir,  is  to  know  of  what  your  cargo  is 
composed  ?" 

"Flour;  eight  hundred  barrels  of  flour." 

"  Flour  !  Would  you  not  do  better  to  carry  that  to  Liver 
pool?  The  Mississippi  must  be  almost  turned  into  paste  by 
the  quantity  of  flour  it  floats  to  market," 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  Ill 

**  Notwithstanding  that,  lieutenant,  I  know  Uncle  Sam's 
economy  so  well,  as  to  believe  I  shall  part  with  every  barrel 
of  my  flour  to  his  contractors,  at  a  handsome  profit." 

"  You  read  Whig  newspapers  principally,  I  rather  think, 
Mr.  Spike,"  answered  Wallace,,  in  his  cool,  deliberate  way, 
smiling,  however,  as  he  spoke. 

We  may  just  as  well  say  here,  that  nature  intended  this 
gentleman  for  a  second  lieutenant,  the  very  place  he  filled. 
He  was  a  capital  second  lieutenant,  while  he  would  not  have 
earned  his  rations  as  first.  So  well  was  he  assured  of  this 
peculiarity  in  his  moral  composition,  that  he  did  not  wish 
to  be  the  first  lieutenant  of  anything  in  which  he  sailed.  A 
respectable  seaman,  a  well-read  and  intelligent  man,  a  capi 
tal  deck  officer,  or  watch  officer,  he  was  too  indolent  to 
desire  to  be  anything  more,  and  was  as  happy  as  the  day 
was  long,  in  the  easy  berth  he  filled.  The  first  lieutenant 
had  been  his  messmate  as  a  midshipman,  and  ranked  him 
but  two  on  the  list  in  his  present  commission ;  but  he  did 
not  envy  him  in  the  least.  On  the  contrary,  one  of  his 
greatest  pleasures  was  to  get  "Working  Willy,"  as  he  called 
his  senior,  over  a  glass  of  wine,  or  a  tumbler  of"  hot  stuff," 
and  make  him  recount  the  labours  of  the  day.  On  such 
occasions,  Wallace  never  failed  to  compare  the  situation  of 
"  Working  Willy"  with  his  own  gentlemanlike  ease  and 
independence.  As  second  lieutenant,  his  rank  raised  him 
above  most  of  the  unpleasant  duty  of  the  ship,  while  it  did 
not  raise  him  high  enough  to  plunge  him  into  the  never- 
ending  labours  of  his  senior.  He  delighted  to  call  himself 
the  "  ship's  gentleman,"  a  sobriquet  he  well  deserved,  on 
more  accounts  than  one. 

"You  read  Whig  newspapers  principally,  I  rather  think, 
Mr.  Spike,"  answered  the  lieutenant,  as  has  been  just  men 
tioned,  "  while  we  on  board  the  Poughkeepsie  indulge  in 
looking  over  the  columns  of  the  Union,  as  well  as  over  those 
of  the  Intelligencer,  when  by  good  luck  we  can  lay  our 
hands  on  a  stray  number." 

"  That  ship,  then,  is  called  the  Poughkeepsie,  is  she,  sir?" 
inquired  Spike. 

"  Such  is  her  name,  thanks  to  a  most  beneficent  and  sage 
provision  of  Congress,  which  has  extended  its  parental  care 
over  the  navy  so  far  as  to  imagine  that  a  man  chosen  by  the 


JACK   TIER; 

people  to  exercise  so  many  of  the  functions  of  a  sovereign, 
is  not  fit  to  name  a  ship.  All  our  two  and  three  deckers 
are  to  be  called  after  states;  the  frigates  after  rivers;  and 
the  sloops  after  towns.  Thus  it  is  that  our  craft  has  the 
honour  to  be  called  the  United  States  ship  the  '  Poughkeep- 
sie,'  instead  of  the  '  Arrow,'  or  the  '  Wasp,'  or  the  *  Curlew,' 
or  the  '  Petrel,'  as  might  otherwise  have  been  the  case.  But 
the  wisdom  of  Congress  is  manifest,  for  the  plan  teaches  us 
sailors  geography." 

"  Yes,  sir,  yes,  one  can  pick  up  a  bit  of  1'arnin'  in  that 
way  cheap.  The  Poughkeepsie,  Captain T' 

"The  United  States'  ship  Poughkeepsie,  20,  Captain 
Adam  Mull,  at  your  service.  But,  Mr.  Spike,  you  will 
allow  me  to  look  at  your  papers.  It  is  a  duty  I  like,  for  it 
can  be  performed  quietly,  and  without  any  fuss." 

Spike  looked  distrustfully  at  his  new  acquaintance,  but 
went  for  his  vessel's  papers  without  any  very  apparent  hesi 
tation.  Every  thing  was  en  regie,  and  Wallace  soon  got 
through  with  the  clearance,  manifest,  &c.  Indeed  the  car 
go,  on  paper  at  least,  was  of  the  simplest  and  least  compli 
cated  character,  being  composed  of  nothing  but  eight 
hundred  barrels  of  flour. 

"  It  all  looks  very  well  on  paper,  Mr.  Spike,"  added  the 
boarding  officer.  "  With  your  permission,  we  will  next  see 
how  it  looks  in  sober  reality.  I  perceive  your  main  hatch 
is  open,  and  I  suppose  it  will  be  no  difficult  matter  just  to 
take  a  glance  at  your  hold." 

"  Here  is  a  ladder,  sir,  that  will  take  us  at  once  to  the 
half-deck,  for  I  have  no  proper  'twixt  decks  in  this  craft; 
she  's  too  small  for  that  sort  of  outfit." 

"  No  matter,  she  has  a  hold,  I  suppose,  and  that  can  con 
tain  cargo.  Take  me  to  it  by  the  shortest  road,  Mr.  Spike, 
for  I  am  no  great  admirer  of  trouble." 

Spike  now  led  the  way  below,  Wallace  following,  leaving 
the  midshipman  on  deck,  who  had  fallen  into  conversation 
with  the  relict  and  her  pretty  niece.  The  half-deck  of  the 
brigantine  contained  spare  sails,  provisions,  and  water,  as 
usual,  while  quantities  of  old  canvas  lay  scattered  over  the 
cargo  ;  more  especially  in  the  wake  of  the  hatches,  of  which 
there  were  two  besides  that  which  led  from  the  quarter-deck. 

"  Flour  to  the  number  of  eight  hundred  barrels,"  said 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  113 

Wallace,  striking  his  foot  against  a  barrel  that  lay  within 
his  reach.  "  The  cargo  is  somewhat  singular  to  come  from 
New  York,  going  to  Key  West,  my  dear  Spike?" 

"  I  suppose  you  know  what  sort  of  a  place  Key  West  is, 
sir;  a  bit  of  an  island  in  which  there  is  scarce  so  much  as 
a  potatoe  grows." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir;  I  know  Key  West  very  well,  having  been 
in  and  out  a  dozen  limes.  All  eatables  are  imported,  turtle 
excepted.  But  (lour  can  be  brought  down  the  Mississippi  so 
much  cheaper  than  it  can  be  brought  from  New  York." 

"  Have  you  any  idee,  lieutenant,  what  Uncle  Sam's  men 
are  paying  for  it  at  New  Orleens,  just  to  keep  soul  and 
bodies  together  among  the  so'gers  ?" 

"That  may  be  true,  sir  —  quite  true,  I  dare  say,  Mr. 
Spike.  Have  n't  you  a  bit  of  a  chair  that  a  fellow  can  sit 
down  on — this  half-deck  of  your's  is  none  of  the  most  com 
fortable  places  to  stand  in.  Thank  you,  sir  —  thank  you 
with  all  my  heart.  What  lots  of  old  sails  you  have  scattered 
about  the  hold,  especially  in  the  wake  of  the  hatches  !" 

"  Why,  the  craft  being  little  more  than  in  good  ballast 
trim,  I  keep  the  hatches  off  to  air  her;  and  the  spray  might 
spit  down  upon  the  flour  at  odd  limes  but  for  them  'ere  sails." 

"Ay,  a  prudent  caution.  So  you  think  Uncle  Sam's 
people  will  be  after  this  flour  as  soon  as  they  learn  you  have 
got  it  snug  in  at  Key  West]" 

"  What  more  likely,  sir?  You  know  how  it  is  with  our 
government  —  always  wrong,  whatever  it  does  !  and  I  can 
show  you  paragraphs  in  letters  written  from  Neio  Orleens, 
v/hich  tell  us  that  Uncle  Sam  is  paying  seventy-five  and 
eighty  per  cent,  more  for  flour  than  anybody  else." 

"  He  must  be  a  flush  old  chap  to  be  able  to  do  that,  Spike." 

"Flush!  I  rather  think  he  is.  Do  you  know  that  he  is 
spendin',  accordin'  to  approved  accounts,  at  this  blessed  mo 
ment,  as  much  as  half  a  million  a  day?  I  own  a  wish  to  be 
pickin'  up  some  of  the  coppers  while  ihey  are  scattered  about 
so  plentifully." 

"  Haifa  million  a  day  !  why  that  is  only  at  the  rate  of 
$187,000,000  per  annum  ;  a  mere  trifle.  Spike,  that  is  scarce 
worth  mentioning  among  us  mariners." 

"  It's  so  in  the  newspapers,  I  can  swear,  lieutenant." 

"Ay,  ay,  and  the  newspapers  will  swear  to  it,  too,  and 
10* 


114  JACK  TIER; 

they  that  gave  the  newspapers  their  cue.  But  no  matter, 
our  business  is  with  this  flour.  Will  you  sell  us  a  barrel 
or  two  for  our  mess?  I  heard  the  caterer  say  we  should 
want  flour  in  the  course  of  a  week  or  so." 

Spike  seemed  embarrassed,  though  not  to  a  degree  to 
awaken  suspicion  in  his  companion. 

"  I  never  sold  cargo  at  sea,  long  as  I  've  sailed  and  owned 
a  craft,"  he  answered,  as  if  uncertain  what  to  do.  "  If 
you  '11  pay  the  price  I  expect  to  get  in  the  Gulf,  and  will 
take  ten  barrels,  1  do  n't  know  but  we  may  make  a  trade 
on  't.  I  shall  only  ask  expected  prices." 

"Which  will  be—?" 

"  Ten  dollars  a  barrel.  For  one  hundred  silver  dollars  I 
will  put  into  your  boat  ten  barrels  of  the  very  best  brand 
known  in  the  western  country." 

"  This  is  dealing  rather  more  extensively  than  I  antici 
pated,  but  we  will  reflect  on  it." 

Wallace  now  indolently  arose  and  ascended  to  the  quar 
ter-deck,  followed  by  Spike,  who  continued  to  press  the  flour 
on  him,  as  if  anxious  to  make  money.  But  the  lieutenant 
hesitated  about  paying  a  price  as  high  as  ten  dollars,  or  to 
take  a  quantity  as  large  as  ten  barrels. 

"  Our  mess  is  no  great  matter  after  all,"  he  said  carelessly. 
"  Four  lieutenants,  the  purser,  two  doctors,  the  master,  and 
a  marine  officer,  and  you  get  us  all.  Nine  men  could 
never  eat  ten  barrels  of  flour,  my  dear  Spike,  you  will  see 
for  yourself,  with  the  quantity  of  excellent  bread  we  carry. 
You  forget  the  bread." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,  Mr.  Wallace,  since  that  is  your  name. 
But  such  flour  as  this  of  mine  has  not  been  seen  in  the  Gulf 
this  many  a  day.  I  ought  in  reason  to  ask  twelve  dollars 
for  it,  and  insist  on  such  a  ship  as  your'n  's  taking  twenty 
instead  of  the  ten  barrels." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,  the  ten  will  more  than  suffice;  unless, 
indeed,  the  captain  wants  some  for  the  cabin.  How  is  it 
with  your  steerage  messes,  Mr.  Archer — do  you  want  any 
flour?" 

"  We  draw  a  little  from  the  ship,  according  to  rule,  sir, 
but  we  can't  go  as  many  puddings  latterly  as  we  could  be 
fore  we  touched  last  at  the  Havanna,"  answered  the  laugh 
ing  midshipman.  "  There  is  n't  a  fellow  among  us,  sir,  that 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  "115 

could  pay  a  shore-boat  for  landing  him,  should  we  go  in 
again  beibre  the  end  of  another  month.  I  never  knew  such 
a  place  as  Havanna.  They  say  midshipmen's  money  melts 
there  twice  as  soon  as  lieutenants'  money." 

"  It 's  clear,  then,  you  'II  not  take  any  of  the  ten.  I  am 
afraid  after  all,  Mr.  Spike,  we  cannot  trade,  unless  you  will 
consent  to  let  me  have  two  barrels.  I  '11  venture  on  two  at 
ten  dollars,  high  as  the  price  is." 

"  I  should  n't  forgive  myself  in  six  months  for  making  so 
bad  a  bargain,  lieutenant,  so  we'll  say  no  more  about  it  if 
you  please." 

"  Here  is  a  lady  that  wishes  to  say  a  word  to  you,  Mr. 
Wallace,  before  we  go  back  to  the  ship,  if  you  are  at  lei 
sure  to  hear  her,  or  them — for  there  are  two  of  them,"  put 
in  Archer. 

At  this  moment  Mrs.  Budd  was  approaching  with  a  dig 
nified  step,  while  Rose  followed  timidly  a  little  in  the  rear. 
Wallace  was  a  good  deal  surprised  at  this  application,  and 
Spike  was  quite  as  much  provoked.  As  for  Mulford,  he 
watched  the  interview  from  a  distance,  a  great  deal  more 
interested  in  its  result  than  he  cared  to  have  known,  more 
especially  to  his  commanding  officer.  Its  object  was  to  get 
a  passage  in  the  vessel  of  war. 

"You  are  an  officer  of  that  Uncle  Sam  vessel,"  com 
menced  Mrs.  Budd;  who  thought  that  she  would  so  much 
the  more  command  the  respect  and  attention  of  her  listener, 
by  showing  him  early  how  familiar  she  was  with  even  the 
slang  dialect  of  the  seas. 

"  1  have  the  honour,  ma'am,  to  belong  to  that  Uncle  Sam 
craft,"  answered  Wallace  gravely,  though  he  bowed  politely 
at  the  same  time,  looking  intently  at  the  beautiful  girl  in  the 
back-ground  as  he  so  did. 

"  So  I've  been  told,  sir.  She's  a  beautiful  vessel,  lieute 
nant,  and  is  full  jiggered,  I  perceive." 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life,  or  at  least  for  the  first  time 
since  his  first  cruise,  Wallace  wore  a  mystified  look,  being 
absolutely  at  a  loss  to  imagine  what  "  full  jiggered"  could 
mean.  He  only  looked,  therefore,  for  he  did  not  answer. 

"  Mrs.  Budd  means  that  you  've  a  full  rigged  craft,"  put 
in  Spike,  anxious  to  have  a  voice  in  the  conference,  "  this 
vessel  being  only  a  /mZf-rigged  brig." 


116  JACKTIER; 

"  Oh !  ay ;  yes,  yes — the  lady  is  quite  right.  We  are 
full  jiggered  from  our  dead-eyes  to  our  eye-bolts." 

"  I  thought  as  much,  sir,  from  your  ground  hamper  and 
top-tackles,"  added  the  relict  smiling.  "  For  my  part  there 
is  nothing  in  nature  that  I  so  much  admire  as  a  full  jiggered 
ship,  with  her  canvas  out  of  the  bolt-ropes,  and  her  clew 
lines  and  clew-garnets  braced  sharp,  and  her  yards  all 
abroad." 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  it  is  just  as  you  say,  a  very  charming 
spectacle.  Our  baby  was  born  full  grown,  and  with  all  her 
hamper  aloft  just  as  you  see  her.  Some  persons  refer  ves« 
sels  to  art,  but  1  think  you  are  quite  right  in  referring  them 
to  nature." 

"  Nothing  can  be  more  natural  to  me,  lieutenant,  than  a 
fine  ship  standing  on  her  canvas.  It's  an  object  to  improve 
the  heart  and  to  soften  the  understanding." 

"  So  I  should  think,  ma'am,"  returned  Wallace,  a  little 
quizzically,  "judging  from  the  effect  on  yourself." 

This  speech,  unfortunately  timed  as  it  was,  wrought  a 
complete  change  in  Rose's  feelings,  and  she  no  longer 
wished  to  exchange  the  Swash  for  the  Poughkeepsie.  She 
saw  that  her  aunt  was  laughed  at  in  secret,  and  that  was  a 
circumstance  that  never  failed  to  grate  on  every  nerve  in 
her  system.  She  had  been  prepared  to  second  and  sustain 
the  intended  application — she  was  now  determined  to  op 
pose  it. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  resumed  the  unconscious  relict,  "  and  to 
soften  the  understanding.  Lieutenant,  did  you  ever  cross 
the  Capricorn  ?" 

"  No  less  than  six  times  ;  three  going  and  three  return- 
ing,  you  know." 

"  And  did  Neptune  come  on  board  you,  and  were  you 
shaved  ?" 

"  Everything  was  done  secundem  artcm,  ma'am.  The 
razor  was  quite  an  example  of  what  are  called  in  poetry 
'  thoughts  too  deep  for  tears.'  " 

l-  That  must  have  been  delightful*  As  for  me,  I  'm  quite 
a  devotee  of  Neptune's;  but  I'm  losing  time,  for  no  doubt 
your  ship  is  all  ready  to  pull  away  and  carry  on  sail — " 

"  Aunt,  may  I  say  a  word  to  you  before  you  go  any  fur 
ther,"  put  in  Rose  in  her  quiet  but  very  controlling  way. 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA    REEF.  117 

The  aunt  complied,  and  Wallace,  as  soon  as  left  alone, 
felt  like  a  man  who  was  released  from  a  quick-sand,  into 
which  every  effort  to  extricate  himself  only  plunged  him 
so  much  the  deeper.  At  this  moment  the  ship  hailed,  and 
the  lieutenant  took  a  hasty  leave  of  Spike,  motioned  to  the 
midshipman  to  precede  him,  and  followed  the  latter  into  his 
boat.  Spike  saw  his  visiter  off  in  person,  tending  the  side 
and  offering  the  rnan-ropes  with  his  own  hands.  For  this 
civility  Wallace  thanked  him,  calling  out  as  his  boat  pulled 
him  from  the  brig's  side — "  If  we  *  pull  away,'  "  accenting 
the  "  pull"  in  secret  derision  of  the  relict's  mistake,  "you 
can  pull  away  ;  our  filling  the  topsail  being  a  sign  for  you 
to  do  the  same." 

"  There  you  go,  and  joy  go  with  you,"  muttered  Spike, 
as  he  descended  from  the  gangway.  "  A  pretty  kettle  of 
fish  would  there  have  been  cooked  had  I  let  him  have  his 
two  barrels  of  flour." 

The  man-of-war's  cutter  was  soon  under  the  lee  of  the 
ship,  where  it  discharged  its  freight,  when  it  was  imme 
diately  run  up.  During  the  whole  time  Wallace  had  been 
absent,  Captain  Mull  and  his  officers  remained  on  the  poop, 
principally  occupied  in  examining  and  discussing  the  merits 
of  the  Swash.  No  sooner  had  their  officer  returned,  how 
ever,  than  an  order  was  given  to  fill  away,  it  being  sup 
posed  that  the  Poughkeepsie  had  no  further  concern  with 
the  brigantine.  As  for  Wallace,  he  ascended  to  the  poop 
and  made  the  customary  report. 

"  It 's  a  queer  cargo  to  be  carrying  to  Key  West  from 
the  Atlantic  coast,"  observed  the  captain  in  a  deliberating 
sort  of  manner,  as  if  the  circumstance  excited  suspicion ; 
"  Yet  the  Mexicans  can  hardly  be  in  want  of  any  such  sup- 
plies." 

"  Did  you  see  the  flour,  Wallace?"  inquired  the  first  lieu 
tenant,  who  was  well  aware  of  his  messmate's  indolence. 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  felt  it  too.  The  lower  hold  of  the  brig 
is  full  of  flour,  and  of  nothing  else." 

"  Ware  round,  sir — ware  round  and  pass  athwart  the 
brig's  wake,"  interrupted  the  captain.  "There's  plenty  of 
room  now,  and  I  wish  to  pass  as  near  that  craft  as  we  can." 

This  manoeuvre  was  executed.  The  sloop-of-war  no 
sooner  filled  her  maintop-sail  than  she  drew  ahead,  leaving 


118  JACK    TIER? 

plenty  of  room  for  the  brigantine  to  make  sail  on  her  course. 
Spike  did  not  profit  by  this  opening,  however,  but  he  sent 
several  men  aloft  forward,  where  they  appeared  to  be  get 
ting  ready  to  send  down  the  upper  yards  and  the  topgal 
lant-mast.  No  sooner  was  the  sioop-of-war's  helm  put  up 
than  that  vessel  passed  close  along  the  brigantine's  weather 
side,  and-  kept  off  across  her  stern  on  her  course.  As  she 
did  this  the  canvas  was  fluttering  aboard  her,  in  the  process 
of  making  sail,  and  Mull  held  a  short  discourse  with  Spike. 

"  Is  anything  the  matter  aloft  V  demanded  the  man-of- 
war's  man. 

;{  Ay,  ay ;  I  've  sprung  my  topgallant-mast,  and  think 
this  a  good  occasion  to  get  another  up  in  its  place." 

{' Shall  I  lend  you  a  carpenter  or  two,  Mr.  Spike?" 

"Thank'ee,  sir,  thank'ee  with  all  my  heart;  but  we  can 
do  without  them.  .  It's  an  old  stick,  and  it's  high  time  a 
better  stood  where  it  does.  Who  knows  but  I  may  be 
chased  and  feel  the  want  of  reliable  spars." 

Captain  Mull  smiled  and  raised  his  cap  in  the  way  of  an 
adieu,  when  the  conversation  ended ;  the  Poughkeeosie 
sliding  off  rapidly  wfth  a  free  wind,  leaving  the  Swash 
nearly  stationary.  In  ten  minutes  the  two  vessels  were 
more  than  a  mile  apart ;  in  twenty,  beyond  the  reach  of  shot. 

Notwithstanding  the  natural  and  common-place  manner 
in  which  this  separation  took  place,  there  was  much  distrust 
on  board  each  vessel,  and  a  good  deal  of  consummate  man 
agement  on  the  part  of  Spike.  The  latter  knew  that  every 
foot  the  sloop-of-war  went  on  her  course,  carried  her  just 
so  far  to  leeward,  placing  his  own  brig,  in-so-much,  dead  to 
windward  of  her.  As  the  Swash's  best  point  of  sailing, 
relatively  considered,  was  close-hauled,  this  was  giving  to 
Spike  a  great  security  against  any  change  of  purpose  on 
the  part  of  the  vessel  of  war.  Although  his  people  were 
aloft  and  actually  sent  down  the  topgallant-mast,  it  was 
only  to  send  it  up  again,  the  spar  being  of  admirable  tough 
ness,  and  as  sound  as  the  day  it  was  cut. 

"  I  don't  think,  Mr.  Mulford,"  said  the  captain  sarcasti 
cally,  "  that  Uncle  Sam's  glasses  are  good  enough  to  tell 
the  difference  in  wood  at  two  leagues'  distance,  so  we  Ml 
trust  to  the  old  stick  a  little  longer.  Ay,  ay,  let  'em  run  off 
before  it,  we'll  find  another  road  by  which  to  reach  our  port.* 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  119 

"The  sloop-of-war  is  going  round  the  south  side  of  Cuba, 
Captain  Spike,"  answered  the  mate,  "  and  I  have  under 
stood  you  to  say  that  you  intended  to  go  by  the  same  pas 
sage." 

"  A  body  may  change  his  mind,  and  no  murder.  Only 
consider,  Harry,  how  common  it  is  for  folks  to  change  their 
minds.  I  did  intend  to  pass  between  Cuba  and  Jamaica, 
but  I  intend  it  no  longer.  Our  run  from  Montauk  has  been 
oncommon  short,  and  I  've  time  enough  to  spare  to  go  to  the 
southward  of  Jamaica  too,  if  the  notion  takes  me." 

"  That  would  greatly  prolong  the  passage,  Captain  Spike, 
— a  week  at  least." 

"  What  if  it  does — I  've  a  week  to  spare ;  we  're  nine 
days  afore  our  time." 

"Our  time  for  what,  sir?  Is  there  any  particular  time 
set  for  a  vessel's  going  into  Key  West  ?" 

"  Don't  be  womanish  and  over-cur'ous,  Mulford.  I  sail 
with  sealed  orders,  and  when  we  get  well  to  windward  of 
Jamaica,  'twill  be  time  enough  to  open  them." 

Spike  was  as  good  as  his  word.  As  soon  as  he  thought 
the  sloop-of-war  was  far  enough  to  leeward,  or  when  she 
was  hull  down,  he  filled  away  and  made  sail  on  the  wind 
to  get  nearer  to  Porto  Rico.  Long  ere  it  was  dark  he  had 
lost  sight  of  the  sloop-of-war,  when  he  altered  his  course  to 
south-westerly,  which  was  carrying  him  in  the  direction 
he  named,  or  to  windward  of  Jamaica. 

While  this  artifice  was  being  practised  on  board  the 
Molly  Swash,  the  officers  of  the  Poughkeepsie  were  not 
quite  satisfied  with  their  own  mode  of  proceeding  with  the 
brigantine.  The  more  they  reasoned  on  the  matter,  the 
more  unlikely  it  seemed  to  them  that  Spike  could  be  really 
carrying  a  cargo  of  flour  from  New  York  to  Key  West,  in 
the  expectation  of  disposing  of  it  to  the  United  States'  con 
tractors,  and  the  more  out  of  the  way  did  he  seem  to  be  in 
running  through  the  Mona  Passage. 

"  His  true  course  should  have  been  by  the  Hole  in  the 
Wall,  and  so  down  along  the  north  side  of  Cuba,  before  the 
wind,"  observed  the  first  lieutenant.  "  I  wonder  that  never 
struck  you,  Wallace ;  you,  who  so  little  like  trouble." 

"  Certainly  I  knew  it,  but  we  lazy  people  like  running 
off  before  the  wind,  and  I  did  not  know  but  such  were  Mr. 


120  JACK  TIER; 

Spike's  tastes,"  answered  the  "  ship's  gentleman."  "  In  my 
judgment,  the  reluctance  he  showed  to  letting1  us  have  any 
of  liis  flour,  is  much  the  most  suspicious  circumstance  in  tha 
whole  a  [fair." 

These  two  speeches  were  made  on  the  poop,  in  the  pre 
sence  of  the  captain,  but  in  a  sort  of  an  aside  that  admitted 
of  some  of  the  ward-room  familiarity  exhibited.  Captain 
Mull  was  not  supposed  to  hear  what  passed,  though  hear  it 
he  in  fact  did,  as  was  seen  by  his  own  remarks,  which  im 
mediately  succeeded. 

"  I  understood  you  to  say,  Mr.  Wallace,"  observed  the 
captain,  a  little  drily,  "  that  you  saw  the  flour  yourself?" 

"  I  saw  the  flour-barrels,  sir  ;  and  as  regularly  built  were 
they  as  any  barrels  that  ever  were  branded.  But  a  flour- 
barrel  may  have  contained  something  beside  Jlour." 

"  Flour  usually  makes  itself  visible  in  the  handling  ;  were 
these  barrels  quite  clean  ?" 

"  Far  from  it,  sir.  They  showed  flour  on  their  staves, 
like  any  other  cargo.  After  all,  the  man  may  have  more 
sense  than  we  give  him  credit  for,  and  find  a  high  market 
for  his  cargo." 

Captain  Mull  seemed  to  muse,  which  was  a  hint  for  his 
juniors  not  to  continue  the  conversation,  but  rather  to  seem 
to  muse,  too.  After  a  short  pause,  the  captain  quietly  re 
marked — u  Well,  gentlemen,  he  will  be  coming  down  after 
us,  I  suppose,  as  soon  as  he  gets  his  new  topgallant-mast 
on-end,  and  then  we  can  keep  a  bright  look-out  for  him. 
We  shall  cruise  off  Cape  St.  Antonio  for  a  day  or  two,  and 
no  doubt  shall  get  another  look  at  him.  I  should  like  to 
have  one  baking  from  his  flour." 

But  Spike  had  no  intention  to  give  the  Poughkeepsie  the 
desired  opportunity.  As  has  been  stated,  he  stood  oif  to  the 
southward  on  a  wind,  and  completely  doubled  the  eastern 
end  of  Jamaica,  when  he  put  his  helm  up,  and  went,  with 
favouring  wind  and  current,  toward  the  northward  and  west 
ward.  The  consequence  was,  that  he  did  not  fall  in  with 
the  Poughkeepsie  at  all,  which  vessel  was  keeping  a  sharp 
look-out  for  him  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Cape  St.  Antonio 
and  the  Isle  of  Pines,  at  the  very  moment  he  was  running 
down  the  coast  of  Yucatan.  Of  all  the  large  maritime  coun 
tries  of  the  world,  Mexico,  on  the  Atlantic,  is  that  which  is 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  121 

the  most  easily  blockaded,  by  a  superior  naval  power.  By 
maintaining  a  proper  force  between  Key  West  and  the 
Havanna,  and  another  squadron  between  Cape  St.  Antonio 
and  Loggerhead  Key,  the  whole  country,  the  Bay  of  Hon 
duras  excepted,  is  shut  up,  as  it  might  be  in  a  band-box.  It 
is  true  the  Gulf  would  be  left  open  to  the  Mexicans,  were 
not  squadrons  kept  nearer  in ;  but,  as  for  anything  getting 
out  into  the  broad  Atlantic,  it  would  be  next  to  hopeless. 
The  distance  to  be  watched  between  the  Havanna  and  Key 
West  is  only  about  sixty  miles,  while  that  in  the  other  direc 
tion  is  not  much  greater. 

While  the  Swash  was  making  the  circuit  of  Jamaica,  as 
described,  her  captain  had  little  communication  with  his  pas 
sengers.  The  misunderstanding  with  the  relict  embarrassed 
him  as  much  as  it  embarrassed  her ;  and  he  was  quite  wil 
ling  to  let  time  mitigate  her  resentment.  Rose  would  be 
just  as  much  in  his  power  a  fortnight  hence  as  she  was  to« 
day.  This  cessation  in  the  captain's  attentions  gave  the 
females  greater  liberty,  and  they  improved  it,  singularly 
enough  as  it  seemed  to  Mulford,  by  cultivating  a  strange 
sort  of  intimacy  with  Jack  Tier.  The  very  day  that  suc 
ceeded  the  delicate  conversation  with  Mrs.  Budd,  to  a  part 
of  which  Jack  had  been  an  auditor,  the  uncouth-looking 
steward's  assistant  was  seen  in  close  conference  with  the 
pretty  Rose  ;  the  subject  of  their  conversation  being,  appa 
rently,  of  a  most  engrossing  nature.  From  that  hour,  Jack 
got  to  be  not  only  a  confidant,  but  a  favourite,  to  Mulford's 
great  surprise.  A  less  inviting  subject  for  tf>te-a-tetes  and 
confidential  dialogues,  thought  the  young  man,  could  not 
well  exist ;  but  so  it  was  ;  woman's  caprices  are  inexplica 
ble  ;  and  not  only  Rose  and  her  aunt,  but  even  the  captious 
and  somewhat  distrustful  Biddy,  manifested  on  all  occasions 
not  only  friendship,  but  kindness  and  consideration  for  Jack. 

"  You  quite  put  my  nose  out  o1  joint,  you  Jack  Tier,  with 
'e  lady,"  grumbled  Josh,  the  steward  dejure,  if  not  now  de 
facto,  of  the  craft,  "  and  I  neber  see  nuttin'  like  it !  I  s'pose 
you  expect  ten  dollar,  at  least,  from  dem  passenger,  when 
we  gets  in.  But  I  'd  have  you  to  know,  Misser  Jack,  if  you 
please,  dat  a  steward  be  a  steward,  and  he  do  n't  like  to  hab 
trick  played  wid  him,  afore  he  own  face." 

"  Poh  !    poh  !  Joshua,"  answered  Jack   good-naturedly, 

VOL.  I,  — 11 


122  JACK   TIER; 

"  do  n't  distress  yourself  on  a  consaif.  In  the  first  place, 
you  've  got  no  nose  to  be  put  out  of  joint ;  or,  if  you  have 
really  a  nose,  it  has  no  joint.  It 's  nat'ral  for  folks  to  like 
their  own  colour,  and  the  ladies  prefar  me,  because  I'm 
white." 

"  No  so  vverry  white  as  all  dat,  nudder,"  grumbled  Josh. 
"  I  seo  great  many  whiter  dan  you.  But,  if  dern  lady  like 
}rou  so  much  as  to  gib  you  ten  dollar,  as  I  expects,  when 
we  gets  in,  I  presumes  you'll  hand  over  half,  or  six  dollar, 
of  dat  money  to  your  superior  officer,  as  is  law  in  de  case." 

"  Do  you  call  six  the  half  of  ten,  Joshua,  my  scholar,  eh?" 

"  Well,  den,  seven,  if  you  like  dat  better.  I  wants  just 
half,  and  just  half  I  means  to  git." 

"And  half  you  shall  have,  maty.  I  only  wish  you  would 
just  tell  me  where  we  shall  be,  when  we  gets  in." 

"  How  I  know,  white  man  1  Dat  belong  to  skipper,  and 
better  ask  him.  If  he  do  n't  gib  you  lick  in  de  chop,  p'rhapa 
he  tell  you." 

As  Jack  Tier  had  no  taste  for  "  licks  in  the  chops,"  he 
did  not  follow  Josh's  advice.  But  his  agreeing  to  give  half 
of  the  ten.  dollars  to  the  steward  kept  peace  in  the  cabins. 
He  was  even  so  scrupulous  of  his  word,  as  to  hand  to  Josh 
u  half-eagle  that  very  day ;  money  he  had  received  from 
Rose  ;  saying  he  would  trust  to  Providence  for  his  own  half 
of  the  expected  douceur.  This  concession  placed  Jack  Tier 
on  high  grounds  with  his  "  superior  officer,"  and  from  that 
time  the  former  was  left  to  do  the  whole  of  the  customary 
service  of  the  ladies'  cabin. 

As  respects  the  vessel,  nothing  worthy  of  notice  occurred 
until  she  had  passed  Loggerhead  Key,  and  was  fairly 
launched  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Then,  indeed,  Spike  took 
a  step  that  greatly  surprised  his  mate.  The  latter  was  di 
rected  to  bring  all  his  instruments,  charts,  &c.,  and  place 
them  in  the  captain's  state-room,  where  it  was  understood 
they  were  to  remain  until  the  brig  got  into  port.  Spike 
was  but  an  indifferent  navigator,  while  Mulforcl  was  one  of 
a  higher  order  than  common.  So  much  had  the  former 
been  accustomed  to  rely  on  the  latter,  indeed,  as  they  ap 
proached  a  strange  coast,  that  he  could  not  possibly  have 
taken  any  step,  that  was  not  positively  criminal,  which 
would  have  given  his  mate  more  uneasiness  than  this. 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  123 

At  first,  Mulford  naturally  enough  suspected  that  Spike 
intended  to  push  for  some  Mexican  port,  by  thus  blinding 
his  eyes  as  to  the  position  of  the  vessel.  The  direction 
steered,  however,  soon  relieved  the  mate  from  this  appre 
hension.  From  the  eastern  extremity  of  Yucatan,  the  Mexi 
can  coast  trends  to  the  westward,  and  even  to  the  south  of 
west,  for  a  long  distance,  whereas  the  course  steered  by 
Spike  was  north,  easterly.  This  was  diverging  from  the 
enemy's  coast  instead  of  approaching  it,  and  the  circumstance 
greatly  relieved  the  apprehensions  of  Mulford. 

Nor  was  the  sequestration  of  the  mate's  instruments  the 
only  suspicious  act  of  Spike.  He  caused  the  brig's  paint  to 
be  entirely  altered,  and  even  went  so  far  toward  disguising 
her,  as  to  make  some  changes  aloft.  All  this  was  done  as 
the  vessel  passed  swiftly  on  her  course,  and  everything  had 
been  effected,  apparently  to  the  captain's  satisfaction,  when 
the  cry  of  "  land-ho !"  was  once  more  heard.  The  land 
proved  to  be  a  cluster  of  low,  small  islands,  part  coral,  part 
sand,  that  might  have  been  eight  or  ten  in  number,  and  the 
largest  of  which  did  not  possess  a  surface  of  more  than  a 
very  few  acres.  Many  were  the  merest  islets  imaginable, 
and  on  one  of  the  largest  of  the  cluster  rose  a  tall,  gaunt 
light-house,  having  the  customary  dwelling  of  its  keeper  at 
its  base.  Nothing  else  was  visible ;  the  broad  expanse  of 
the  blue  waters  of  the  Gulf  excepted.  All  the  land  in  sight 
would  not  probably  have  made  one  field  of  twenty  acres  in 
extent,  and  that  seemed  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  world, 
by  a  broad  barrier  of  water.  It  was  a  spot  of  such  singular 
situation  and  accessories,  that  Mulford  gazed  at  it  with  a 
burning  desire  to  know  where  he  was,  as  the  brig  steered 
through  a  channel  between  two  of  the  islets,  into  a  capacious 
and  perfectly  safe  basin,  formed  by  the  group,  and  dropped 
her  anchor  in  its  centre. 


124  JACK   TIER; 


CHAPTER  V. 

He  sleeps ;  but  dreams  of  massy  gold, 

And  heaps  of  pearl.     He  stretch'd  his  hands — 

He  hears  a  voice — "  III  man  withhold  !" 
A  pale  one  near  him  stands. 

DANA. 

IT  was  near  night-fall  when  the  Swash  anchored  among 
the  low  and  small  islets  mentioned.  Rose  had  been  on 
deck,  as  the  vessel  approached  this  singular  and  solitary 
haven,  watching  the  movements  of  those  on  board,  as  well 
as  the  appearance  of  objects  on  the  land,  with  the  interest 
her  situation  would  be  likely  to  awaken.  She  saw  the  light 
and  manageable  craft  glide  through  the  narrow  and  crooked 
passages  that  led  into  the  port,  the  process  of  anchoring, 
and  the  scene  of  tranquil  solitude  that  succeeded;  each  fol 
lowing  the  other  as  by  a  law  of  nature.  The  light-house 
next  attracted  her  attention,  and,  as  soon  as  the  sun  disap 
peared,  her  eyes  were  fastened  on  the  lantern,  in  expecta 
tion  of  beholding  the  watchful  and  warning  fires  gleaming 
there,  to  give  the  mariner  notice  of  the  position  of  the  dan 
gers  that  surrounded  the  place.  Minute  went  by  after 
minute,  however,  and  the  customary  illumination  seemed  to 
be  forgotten. 

"  Why  is  not  this  light  shining?"  Rose  asked  of  Mulford, 
as  the  young  man  came  near  her,  after  having  discharged 
his  duty  in  helping  to  moor  the  vessel,  and  in  clearing  the 
decks.  "  All  the  light-houses  we  have  passed,  and  they 
have  been  fifty,  have  shown  bright  lights  at  this  hoi1/,  but 
this." 

"  I  cannot  explain  it ;  nor  have  I  the  smallest  notion 
where  we  are.  I  have  been  aloft,  and  there  was  nothing 
in  sight  but  this  cluster  of  low  islets,  far  or  near.  I  did 
fancy,  for  a  moment,  I  saw  a  speck  like  a  distant  sail,  off 
here,  to  the  northward  and  eastward,  but  I  rather  think  it 
was  a  gull,  or  some  other  sea-bird  glancing  upward  on  the 
wing.  I  mentioned  it  to  the  captain  when  I  came  down, 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  125 

and  he  appeared  to  believe  it  a  mistake.  I  have  watched 
that  light-house  closely,  too,  ever  since  we  came  in,  and  I 
have  not  seen  the  smallest  sign  of  life  about  it.  It  is  alto 
gether  an  extraordinary  place  !" 

"One  suited  to  acts  of  villany,  I  fear,  Harry  !" 

"  Of  that  we  shall  be  better  judges  to-morrow.  You,  at 
least,  have  one  vigilant  friend,  who  will  die  sooner  than 
harm  shall  come  to  you.  I  believe  Spike  to  be  thoroughly 
unprincipled ;  still  he  knows  he  can  go  so  far  and  no  fur 
ther,  and  has  a  wholesome  dread  of  the  law.  But  the  cir 
cumstance  that  there  should  be  such  a  port  as  this,  with  a 
regular  light-house,  and  no  person  near  the  last,  is  so  much 
out  of  the  common  way,  that  I  do  not  know  what  to  make 
of  it." 

"  Perhaps  the  light-house  keeper  is  afraid  to  show  himself, 
in  the  presence  of  the  Swash  ?" 

"  That  can  hardly  be,  for  vessels  must  often  enter  the 
port,  if  port  it  can  be  called.  But  Spike  is  as  much  con 
cerned  at  the  circumstance  that  the  lamps  are  not  lighted, 
as  any  of  us  can  be.  Look,  he  is  about  to  visit  the  build 
ing  in  the  boat,  accompanied  by  two  of  his  oldest  sea-dogs." 

"  Why  might  we  not  raise  the  anchor,  and  sail  out  of  this 
place,  leaving  Spike  ashore  ?"  suggested  Rose,  with  more 
decision  and  spirit  than  discretion. 

"  For  the  simple  reason  that  the  act  would  be  piracy, 
even  if  I  could  get  the  rest  of  the  people  to  obey  my  orders, 
as  certainly  I  could  not.  No,  Rose :  you,  and  your  aunt, 
and  Biddy,  however,  might  land  at  these  buildings,  and 
refuse  to  return,  Spike  having  no  authority  over  his  pas 
sengers." 

"  Still  he  would  have  the  power  to  make  us  come  back  to 
his  brig.  Look,  he  has  left  the  vessel's  side,  and  is  going 
directly  toward  the  light-house." 

Mulford  made  no  immediate  answer,  but  remained  at 
Rose's  side,  watching  the  movements  of  the  captain.  The 
last  pulled  directly  to  the  islet  with  the  buildings,  a  distance 
of  only  a  few  hundred  feet,  the  light-house  being  constructed 
on  a  rocky  island  that  was  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  clus 
ter,  most  probably  to  protect  it  from  the  ravages  of  the 
waves.  The  fact,  however,  proved,  as  Mulford  did  not  fail 
to  suggest  to  his  companion,  that  the  beacon  had  been 
11* 


126  JACK  TIER; 

erected  less  to  guide  vessels  into  the  haven,  than  to  warn 
mariners  at  a  distance,  of  the  position  of  the  whole  group. 

In  less  than  five  minutes  after  he  had  landed,  Spike  him 
self  was  seen  in  the  lantern,  in  the  act  of  lighting  its  lamps. 
In  a  very  short  time  the  place  was  in  a  brilliant  blaze, 
reflectors  and  all  the  other  parts  of  the  machinery  of  the 
place  performing  their  duties  as  regularly  as  if  tended  by 
the  usual  keeper.  Soon  after  Spike  returned  on  board,  and 
the  ancbo-r-watch  was  set.  Then  everybody  sought  the 
rest  that  it  was  customary  to  take  at  that  hour. 

Mulford  was  on  deck  with  the  appearance  of  the  sun  ; 
but  he  found  that  Spike  had  preceded  him,  had  gone  ashore 
again,  had  extinguished  the  lamps,  and  was  coming  along 
side  of  the  brig  on  his  return.  A  minute  later  the  captain 
came  over  the  side. 

"  You  were  right  about  your  sail,  last  night,  a'ter  all, 
Mr.  Mulford,"  said  Spike,  on  coming  aft.  "  There  she  is, 
sure  enough ;  and  we  shall  have  her  alongside  to  strike 
cargo  out  and  in,  by  the  time  the  people  have  got  their 
breakfasts." 

As  Spike  pointed  toward  the  light-house  while  speaking, 
the  mate  changed  his  position  a  little,  and  saw  that  a 
schooner  was  coming  down  toward  the  islets  before  the 
wind.  Mulford  now  began  to  understand  the  motives  of  the 
captain's  proceedings,  though  a  good  deal  yet  remained 
veiled  in  mystery.  He  could  not  tell  where  the  brig  was, 
nor  did  he  know  precisely  why  so  many  expedients  were 
adopted  to  conceal  the  transfer  of  a  cargo  as  simple  as  that 
of  flour.  But  he  who  was  in  the  secret  left  but  little  time 
for  reflection  ;  for  swallowing  a  hasty  breakfast  on  deck, 
he  issued  orders  enough  to  his  mate  to  give  him  quite  as 
much  duty  as  he  could  perform,  when  he  again  entered  the 
yawl,  and  pulled  toward  the  stranger. 

Rose  soon  appeared  on  deck,  and  she  naturally  began  to 
question  Harry  concerning  their  position  and  prospects. 
He  was  confessing  his  ignorance,  as  well  as  lamenting  it, 
when  his  companion's  sweet  face  suddenly  flushed.  She 
advanced  a  step  eagerly  toward  the  open  window  of  Spike's 
state-room,  then  compressed  her  full,  rich  under-lip  with  the 
ivory  of  her  upper  teeth,  and  stood  a  single  instant,  a  beau 
tiful  statue  of  irresolution  instigated  by  spirit.  The  last 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  127 

quality  prevailed  ;  and  Mulford  was  really  startled  when  he 
saw  Rose  advance  quite  to  the  window,  thrust  in  an  arm, 
and  turn  toward  him  with  his  own  sextant  in  her  hand. 
During  the  course  of  the  passage  out,  the  young  man  had 
taught  Rose  to  assist  him  in  observing  the  longitude;  and 
she  was  now  ready  to  repeat  the  practice.  Not  a  moment 
was  lost  in  executing  her  intention.  Sights  were  had,  and 
the  instrument  was  returned  to  its  place  without  attracting 
the  attention  of  the  men,  who  were  all  busy  in  getting  up 
purchases,  and  in  making  the  other  necessary  dispositions 
for  discharging  the  flour.  The  observations  answered  the 
purpose,  though  somewhat  imperfectly  made.  Mulford  had 
a  tolerable  notion  of  their  latitude,  having  kept  the  brig's 
run  in  his  head  since  quitting  Yutacan ;  and  he  now  found 
that  their  longitude  was  about  83°  west  from  Greenwich. 
After  ascertaining  this  fact,  a  glance  at  the  open  chart, 
which  lay  on  Spike's  desk,  satisfied  him  that  the  vessel  was 
anchored  within  the  group  of  the  Dry  Tortugas,  or  at  the 
western  termination  of  the  well-known,  formidable,  and  ex 
tensive  Florida  Reef.  He  had  never  been  in  that  part  of  the 
world  before,  but  had  heard  enough  in  sea-gossip,  and  had 
read  enough  in  books,  to  be  at  once  apprised  of  the  true 
character  of  their  situation.  The  islets  were  American  ; 
the  light-house  was  American ;  and  the  haven  in  which  the 
Swash  lay  was  the  very  spot  in  the  contemplation  of  govern 
ment  for  an  outer  man-of-war  harbour,  where  fleets  might 
rendezvous  in  the  future  wars  of  that  portion  of  the  world. 
He  now  saw  plainly  enough  the  signs  of  the  existence  of  a 
vast  reef,  a  short  distance  to  the  southward  of  the  vessel, 
that  formed  a  species  of  sea-wall,  or  mole,  to  protect  the 
port  against  the  waves  of  the  gulf  in  that  direction.  This 
reef  he  knew  to  be  miles  in  width. 

There  was  little  time  for  speculation,  Spike  soon  bringing 
the  strange  schooner  directly  alongside  of  the  brig.  The 
two  vessels  immediately  became  a  scene  of  activity,  one 
discharging,  and  the  other  receiving  the  flour  as  fast  as  it 
could  be  struck  out  of  the  hold  of  the  Swash  and  lowered 
upon  the  deck  of  the  schooner.  Mulford,  however,  had 
practised  a  little  artifice,  as  the  stranger  entered  the  haven, 
which  drew  down  upon  him  an  anathema  or  two  from 
Spike,  as  soon  as  they  were  alone.  The  mate  had  set  the 


128  JACK   TIER; 

brig's  ensign,  and  this  compelled  the  stranger  to  be  mark- 
edly  rude,  or  to  answer  the  compliment.  Accordingly  he 
had  shown  the  ancient  flag  of  Spain.  For  thus  extorting 
a  national  symbol  from  the  schooner,  the  mate  was  sharply 
rebuked  at  a  suitable  moment,  though  nothing  could  have 
been  more  forbearing  than  the  deportment  of  his  commander 
when  they  first  met. 

When  Spike  returned  to  his  own  vessel,  he  was  accom 
panied  by  a  dark-looking,  well-dressed,  and  decidedly  gen 
tleman-like  personage,  whom  he  addressed  indifferently,  in 
his  very  imperfect  Spanish,  as  Don  Wan,  (Don  Juan,  or 
John,)  or  Senor  Montefalderon.  By  the  latter  appellation 
he  even  saw  fit  to  introduce  the  very  respectable-looking 
stranger  to  his  mate.  This  stranger  spoke  English  well, 
though  with  an  accent. 

"Don  Wan  has  taken  all  the  flour,  Mr.  Mulford,  and 
intends  shoving  it  over  into  Cuba,  without  troubling  the 
custom-house,  I  believe ;  but  that  is  not  a  matter  to  give  us 
any  concern,  you  know." 

The  wink,  and  the  knowing  look  by  which  this  speech 
was  accompanied,  seemed  particularly  disagreeable  to  Don 
Juan,  who  now  paid  his  compliments  to  Rose,  with  no  little 
surprise  betrayed  in  his  countenance,  but  with  the  ease  and 
reserve  of  a  gentleman.  Mulford  thought  it  strange  that  a 
smuggler  of  flour  should  be  so  polished  a  personage,  though 
his  duty  did  not  admit  of  his  bestowing  much  attention  on 
the  little  trifling  of  the  interview  that  succeeded. 

For  about  an  hour  the  work  went  steadily  and  rapidly 
on.  During  that  time  Mulford  was  several  times  on  board 
the  schooner,  as,  indeed,  was  Josh,  Jack  Tier,  and  others 
belonging  to  the  Swash.  The  Spanish  vessel  was  Balti 
more,  or  clipper  built,  with  a  trunk-cabin,  and  had  every 
appearance  of  sailing  fast.  Mulford  was  struck  with  her 
model,  and,  while  on  board  of  her,  he  passed  both  forward 
and  aft  to  examine  it.  This  was  so  natural  in  a  seaman, 
that  Spike,  while  he  noted  the  proceeding,  took  it  in  good 
part.  He  even  called  out  to  his  mate,  from  his  own  quar 
ter-deck,  to  admire  this  or  that  point  in  the  schooner's  con 
struction.  As  is  customary  with  the  vessels  of  southern 
nations,  this  stranger  was  full  of  men,  but  they  continued  at 
their  work,  some  half  dozen  of  brawny  negroes  among 


OR,     THE  FLORIDA     REEF.  129 

them,  shouting  their  songs  as  they  swayed  at  the  falls,  no 
one  appearing  to  manifest  jealousy  or  concern.  At  length 
Tier  carne  near  the  mate,  and  said, 

"  Uncle  Sam  will  not  be  pleased  when  he  hears  the  rea 
son  that  the  keeper  is  not  in  his  light-house." 

"  And  what  is  that  reason,  Jack?  If  you  know  it,  tell  it  to 
me." 

"  Go  aft  and  look  down  the  companion-way,  maty,  and 
see  it  for  yourself." 

Mulford  did  go  aft,  and  he  made  an  occasion  to  look  down 
into  the  schooner's  cabin,  where  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
persons  of  a  man  and  a  boy,  whom  he  at  once  supposed  had 
been  taken  from  the  light-house.  This  one  fact  of  itself 
doubled  his  distrust  of  the  character  of  Spike's  proceedings. 
There  was  no  sufficient  apparent  reason  why  a  mere  smug 
gler  should  care  about  the  presence  of  an  individual  more  or 
less  in  a  foreign  port.  Everything  that  had  occurred,  looked 
like  pre-concert  between  the  brig  and  the  schooner  ;  and  the 
mate  was  just  beginning  to  entertain  the  strongest  distrust 
that  their  vessel  was  holding  treasonable  communication 
with  the  enemy,  when  an  accident  removed  all  doubt  on  the 
subject,  from  his  own  mind  at  least.  Spike  had,  once  or 
twice,  given  his  opinion  that  the  weather  was  treacherous, 
and  urged  the  people  of  both  crafts  to  extraordinary  exertions, 
in  order  that  the  vessels  might  get  clear  of  each  other  as 
soon  as  possible.  This  appeal  had  set  various  expedients  in 
motion  to  second  the  more  regular  work  of  the  purchases. 
Among  other  things,  planks  had  been  laid  from  one  vessel 
to  the  other,  and  barrels  were  rolled  along  them  with  very 
little  attention  to  the  speed  or  the  direction.  Several  had 
fallen  on  the  schooner's  deck  with  rude  shocks,  but  no  dam 
age  was  done,  until  one,  of  which  the  hoops  had  not  been 
properly  secured,  met  with  a  fall,  and  burst  nearly  at  Mul- 
ford's  feet.  It  was  at  the  precise  moment  when  the  mate 
was  returning,  from  taking  his  glance  into  the  cabin,  toward 
the  side  of  the  Swash.  A  white  cloud  arose,  and  half  a 
dozen  of  the  schooner's  people  sprang  for  buckets,  kids,  or 
dishes,  in  order  to  secure  enough  of  the  contents  of  the  bro 
ken  barrel  to  furnish  them  with  a  meal.  At  first  nothing 
was  visible  but  the  white  cloud  that  succeeded  the  fall,  and 
the  scrambling  sailors  in  its  midst.  No  sooner,  however,  had 


130  JACK   TIER; 

the  air  got  to  be  a  little  clear,  than  Mulford  saw  an  object  lying 
in  centre  of  the  wreck,  that  he  at  once  recognised  for  a  keg  of 
the  gunpowder  !  The  captain  of  the  schooner  seized  this  keg, 
gave  a  knowing  look  at  Mulford,  and  disappeared  in  the  hold 
of  his  own  vessel,  carrying  with  him,  what  was  out  of  all 
question,  a  most  material  part  of  the  true  cargo  of  the  Swash. 

At  the  moment  when  the  flour-barrel  burst,  Spike  was  be 
low,  in  close  conference  with  his  Spanish,  or  Mexican  guest  ; 
and  the  wreck  being  so  soon  cleared  away,  it  is  probable 
that  he  never  heard  of  the  accident.  As  for  the  two  crews, 
they  laughed  a  little  among  themselves  at  the  revelation 
which  had  been  made,  as  well  as  at  the  manner  ;  but  to  old 
sea-dogs  like  them,  it  was  a  matter  of  very  little  moment, 
whether  the  cargo  was,  in  reality,  flour  or  gunpowder.  In  a 
few  minutes  the  affair  seemed  to  be  forgotten.  In  the  course  of 
another  hour  the  Swash  was  light,  having  nothing  in  her  but 
some  pig-lead,  which  she  used  for  ballast,  while  the  schooner 
was  loaded  to  her  hatches,  and  full.  Spike  now  sent  a  boat, 
with  orders  to  drop  a  kedge  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the 
place  where  his  own  brig  lay.  The  schooner  warped  up  to 
this  kedge,  and  dropped  an  anchor  of  her  own,  leaving  a  very 
short  range  of  cable  out,  it  being  a  flat  calm.  Ordinarily, 
the  trades  prevail  at  the  Dry  Tortugas,  and  all  along  the 
Florida  Reef.  Sometimes,  indeed,  this  breeze  sweeps  across 
the  whole  width  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  blowing  home,  as  it 
is  called — reaching  even  to  the  coast  of  Texas.  It  is  subject, 
however,  to  occasional  interruptions  everywhere,  varying 
many  points  in  its  direction,  and  occasionally  ceasing  en 
tirely.  The  latter  was  the  condition  of  the  weather  about 
noon  on  this  day,  or  when  the  schooner  hauled  off  from  the 
brig,  and  was  secured  at  her  own  anchor. 

"  Mr.  Mulford,"  said  Spike,  "  I  do  not  like  the  state  of  the 
atmosphere.  D'ye  see  that  fiery  streak  along  the  western 
horizon — well,  sir,  as  the  sun  gets  nearer  to  that  streak, 
there'll  be  trouble,  or  I'm  no  judge  of  weather." 

"You  surely  do  not  imagine,  Captain  Spike,  that  the  sun 
will  be  any  nearer  to  that  fiery  streak,  as  you  call  it,  when 
he  is  about  to  set,  than  he  is  at  this  moment  ?"  answered  the 
mate,  smiling. 

"  I  'm  sure  of  one  thing,  young  man,  and  that  is,  that  old 
heads  are  better  than  young  ones.  What  a  man  has  once 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  131 

seen,  he  may  expect  to  see  again,  if  the  same  leading  signs 
offer.  Man  the  boat,  sir,  and  carry  out  the  kedge,  which  is 
still  in  it,  and  lay  it  off  here,  about  three  p'ints  on  our  lar 
board  bow." 

Mulford  had  a  profound  respect  for  Spike's  seamanship, 
whatever  he  might  think  of  his  principles.  The  order  was 
consequently  obeyed.  The  mate  was  then  directed  to  send 
down  various  articles  out  of  the  lop,  and  to  get  the  top-gal 
lant  and  royal  yards  on  deck.  Spike  carried  his  precautions 
so  far,  as  to  have  the  mainsail  lowered,  it  ordinarily  brail- 
ing  at  that  season  of  the  year,  with  a  standing  gaff.  With 
this  disposition  completed,  the  captain  seemed  more  at  his 
ease,  and  went  below  to  join  Senor  Moritefalderon  in  a  siesta. 
The  Mexican,  for  such,  in  truth,  was  the  national  character 
of  the  owner  of  the  schooner,  had  preceded  him  in  this  indul 
gence;  and  most  of  the  people  of  the  brig  having  laid  them 
selves  down  to  sleep  under  the  heat  of  the  hour,  Mulford 
soon  enjoyed  another  favourable  opportunity  for  a  private 
conference  with  Rose. 

"  Harry,"  commenced  the  latter,  as  soon  as  they  were 
alone ;  "  I  have  much  to  tell  you.  While  you  have  been 
absent  I  have  overheard  a  conversation  between  this  Span 
ish  gentleman  and  Spike,  that  shows  the  last  is  in  treaty 
with  the  other  for  the  sale  of  the  brig.  Spike  extolled  his 
vessel  to  the  skies,  while  Don  Wan,  as  he  calls  him,  com 
plains  that  the  brig  is  old,  and  cannot  last  long ;  to  which 
Spike  answered  '  to  be  sure  she  is  old,  Senor  Montefalderori, 
but  she  will  last  as  long  as  your  war,  and  under  a  bold  cap 
tain  might  be  made  to  return  her  cost  a  hundred  fold  !' 
WThat  war  can  he  mean,  and  to  what  does  such  a  discourse 
tend  ?" 

"  The  war  alludes  to  the  war  now  existing  between  Ame 
rica  and  Mexico,  and  the  money  to  be  made  is  to  be  plun 
dered  at  sea,  from  our  own  merchant-vessels.  If  Don  Juan 
Montefalderon  is  really  in  treaty  for  the  purchase  of  the  brig, 
it  is  to  convert  her  into  a  Mexican  cruiser,  either  public  or 
private." 

"But  this  would  be  treason  on  the  part  of  Spike!" 

"Not  more* so  than  supplying  the  enemy  with  gunpow 
der,  as  he  has  just  been  doing.  I  have  ascertained  the  rea 
son  he  was  so  unwilling  to  be  overhauled  by  the  revenue 


132  JACK   TIER; 

steamer,  as  well  as  the  reason  why  the  revenue  steamer 
wished  so  earnestly  to  overhaul  us.  Each  barrel  of  flour 
contains  another  of  gunpowder,  and  that  has  been  sold  to 
this  Senor  Montefalderon,  who  is  doubtless  an  officer  of  the 
Mexican  government,  and  no  smuggler." 

"  He  has  been  at  New  York,  this  very  summer,  I  know," 
continued  Rose,  "  for  he  spoke  of  his  visit,  and  made  such 
other  remarks,  as  leaves  no  doubt  that  Spike  expected  to 
find  him  here,  on  this  very  day  of  the  month.  He  also  paid 
Spike  a  large  sum  of  money  in  doubloons,  and  took  back 
the  bag  to  his  schooner,  when  he  had  done  so,  after  show 
ing  the  captain  enough  was  left  to  pay  for  the  brig  could 
they  only  agree  on  the  terms  of  their  bargain." 

"Ay,  ay;  it  is  all  plain  enough  now,  Spike  has  deter 
mined  on  a  desperate  push  for  fortune,  and  foreseeing  it 
might  not  soon  be  in  his  power  to  return  to  New  York  in 
safety,  he  has  included  his  designs  on  you  and  your  fortune, 
in  the  plot." 

"  My  fortune !  the  trifle  I  possess  can  scarcely  be  called 
a  fortune,  Harry  !" 

"  It  would  be  a  fortune  to  Spike,  Rose ;  and  I  shall  be 
honest  enough  to  own  it  would  be  a  fortune  to  me.  I  say 
this  frankly,  for  I  do  believe  you  think  too  well  of  me  to 
suppose  that  I  seek  you  for  any  other  reason  than  the  ar 
dent  love  I  bear  your  person  and  character;  but  a  fact  is 
not  to  be  denied  because  it  may  lead  certain  persons  to  dis 
trust  our  motives.  Spike  is  poor,  like  myself;  and  the  brig 
is  not  only  getting  to  be  very  old,  but  she  has  been  losing 
money  for  the  last  twelve  months." 

Mulford  and  Rose  now  conversed  long  and  confidentially, 
on  their  situation  and  prospects.  The  male  neither  magni 
fied  nor  concealed  the  dangers  of  both  ;  but  freely  pointed 
out  the  risk  to  himself,  in  being  on  board  a  vessel  that  was 
aiding  and  comforting  the  enemy.  It  was  determined  be 
tween  them  that  both  would  quit  the  brig  the  moment  an 
opportunity  offered  ;  and  the  mate  even  went  so  far  as  to 
propose  an  attempt  to  escape  in  one  of  the  boats,  although 
he  might  incur  the  hazards  of  a  double  accusation,  those  of 
mutiny  and  larceny,  for  making  the  experiment.  Unfor 
tunately,  neither  Rose,  nor  her  aunt,  nor  Biddy,  nor  Jack 
Tier  had  seen  the  barrel  of  powder,  and  neither  could  testify 


r 

OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  133 

as  to  the  true  character  of  Spike's  connection  with  the 
schooner.  It  was  manifestly  necessary,  therefore,  indepen 
dently  of  the  risks  that  might  bo  run  by  "  bearding  the  lion 
in  his  den,"  to  proceed  with  great  intelligence  and  caution. 

This  dialogue  between  Harry  and  Rose,  occurred  just 
after  the  turn  in  the  day,  and  lasted  fully  an  hour.  Each 
had  been  too  much  interested  to  observe  the  heavens,  but, 
as  they  were  on  the  point  of  separating,  Rose  pointed  out  to 
her  companion  the  unusual  and  most  menacing  aspect  of 
the  sky  in  the  western  horizon.  jit  appeared  as  if  a  fiery 
heat  was  glowing  there,  behind  a  curtain  of  black  vapour ; 
and  what  rendered  it  more  remarkable,  was  the  circumstance 
that  an  extraordinary  degree  of  placidity  prevailed  in  all 
other  parts  of  the  heavens.  Mulford  scarce  knew  what  to 
make  of  it ;  his  experience  not  going  so  far  as  to  enable  him 
to  explain  the  novel  and  alarming  appearance.  He  stepped 
on  a  gun,  and  gazed  around  him  for  a  moment.  There  lay 
the  schooner,  without  a  being  visible  on  board  of  her,  and 
there  stood  the  light-house,  gloomy  in  its  desertion  and  sol 
itude.  The  birds  alone  seemed  to  be  alive  and  conscious  of 
what  was  approaching.  They  were  all  on  the  wing,  wheel 
ing  wildly  in  the  air,  and  screaming  discordantly,  as  be 
longed  to  their  habits.  The  young  man  leaped  off  the  gun, 
gave  a  loud  call  to  Spike,  at  the  companion-way,  and  sprang 
forward  to  call  all  hands. 

One  minute  only  was  lost,  when  every  seaman  on  board 
the  Swash,  from  the  captain  to  Jack  Tier,  was  on  deck. 
Mulford  met  Spike  at  the  cabin  door,  and  pointed  toward  the 
fiery  column,  that  was  booming  down  upon  the  anchorage, 
with  a  velocity  and  direction  that  would  now  admit  of  no 
misinterpretation.  For  one  instant  that  sturdy  old  seaman 
stood  aghast ;  gazing  at  the  enemy  as  one  conscious  of  his 
impotcncy  might  have  been  supposed  to  quail  before  an  as 
sault  that  he  foresaw  must  prove  irresistible.  Then  his 
native  spirit,  and  most  of  all  the  effects  of  training,  began 
to  show  themselves  in  him,  and  he  became  at  once,  not  only 
the  man  again,  but  the  resolute,  practised,  and  ready  com 
mander. 

41  Come  aft  to  the  spring,  men — "  he  shouted — "  clap  on 
the  spring,  Mr.  Mulford,  and  bring  the  brig  head  to  wind." 

This  order  was  obeyed  as  seamen  best  obey,  in  cases  of 

VOL.  I.— 12 


134  JACK   TIER; 

sudden  and  extreme  emergency ;  or  with  intelligence,  apti 
tude  and  power.  The  brig  had  swung  nearly  round,  in  the 
desired  direction,  when  the  tornado  struck  her.  It  will  be 
difficult,  we  do  not  know  but  it  is  impossible,  to  give  a  clear  and 
accurate  account  of  what  followed.  As  most  of  our  readers 
have  doubtless  felt  how  great  is  the  power  of  the  wind,  whif 
fling  and  pressing  different  ways,  in  sudden  and  passing 
gusts,  they  have  only  to  imagine  this  power  increased  many, 
many  fold,  and  the  baffling  currents  made  furious,  as  it 
might  be,  by  meeting  with  resistance,  to  form  some  notion 
of  the  appalling  strength  and  frightful  inconstancy  with 
which  it  blew  for  about  a  minute. 

Notwithstanding  the  circumstance  of  Spike's  precaution 
had  greatly  lessened  the  danger,  every  man  on  the  deck  of 
the  Swash  believed  the  brig  was  gone  when  the  gust  struck 
her.  Over  she  went,  in  fact,  until  the  water  came  pouring 
in  above  her  half-ports,  like  so  many  little  cascades,  and 
spouting  up  through  her  scupper-holes,  resembling  the  blow 
ing  of  young  whales.  It  was  the  whiffling  energy  of  the 
tornado  that  alone  saved  her.  As  if  disappointed  in  not 
destroying  its  intended  victim  at  one  swoop,  the  tornado  "  let 
up"  in  its  pressure,  like  a  dexterous  wrestler,  making  a  fresh 
and  desperate  effort  to  overturn  the  vessel,  by  a  slight  vari 
ation  in  its  course.  That  change  saved  the  Swash.  She 
righted,  and  even  rolled  in  the  other  direction,  or  what  might 
be  called  to  windward,  with  her  decks  full  of  water.  For  a 
minute  longer  these  baffling,  changing  gusts  continued,  each 
causing  the  brig  to  bow  like  a  reed  to  their  power,  one  lift 
ing  as  another  pressed  her  down,  and  then  the  weight,  or 
the  more  dangerous  part  of  the  tornado  was  passed,  though 
it  continued  to  blow  heavily,  always  in  whiffling  blasts, 
several  minutes  longer. 

During  the  weight  of  the  gust,  no  one  had  leisure,  or  in 
deed  inclination  to  look  to  aught  beyond  its  effect  on  the  brig, 
Had  one  been  otherwise  disposed,  the  attempt  would  have 
been  useless,  for  the  wind  had  filled  the  air  with  spray,  and 
near  the  islets  even  with  sand.  The  lurid  but  fiery  tinge, 
too,  interposed  a  veil  that  no  human  eye  could  penetrate. 
As  the  tornado  passed  onward,  however,  and  the  winds 
lulled,  the  air  again  became  clear,  and  in  five  minutes  after 
the  moment  when  the  Swash  lay  nearly  on  her  side,  with 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  135 

her  lower. yard-arm  actually  within  a  few  feet  of  the  water, 
all  was  still  and  placid  around  her,  as  one  is  accustomed  to 
see  the  ocean  in  a  calm,  of  a  summer's  afternoon.  Then  it 
was  that  those  who  had  been  in  such  extreme  jeopardy 
could  breathe  freely  and  look  about  them.  On  board  the 
Swash  all  was  well — not  a  rope-yarn  had  parted,  or  an  eye- 
bolt  drawn.  The  timely  precautions  of  Spike  had  saved 
his  brig,  and  great  was  his  joy  thereat. 

In  the  midst  of  the  infernal  din  of  the  tornado,  screams 
had  ascended  from  the  cabin,  and  the  instant  he  could  quit 
the  deck  with  propriety,  Mulford  sprang  below,  in  order  to 
ascertain  their  cause.  He  apprehended  that  some  of  the 
females  had  been  driven  to  leeward  when  the  brig  went 
over,  and  that  part  of  the  luggage  or  furniture  had  fallen 
on  them.  In  the  main  cabin,  the  mate  found  Senor  Mon- 
tefalderon  just  quitting  his  berth,  composed,  gentleman-like, 
and  collected.  Josh  was  braced  in  a  corner  nearly  grey 
with  fear,  while  Jack  Tier  still  lay  on  the  cabin  floor,  at  the 
last  point  to  which  he  had  rolled.  One  word  sufficed  to  let 
Don  Juan  know  that  the  gust  had  passed,  and  the  brig  was 
safe,  when  Mulford  tapped  at  the  door  of  the  inner  cabin. 
Rose  appeared,  pale,  but  calm  and  unhurt. 

"Is  any  one  injured?"  asked  the  young  man,  his  mind 
relieved  at  once,  as  soon  as  he  saw  that  she  who  most  occu 
pied  his  thoughts  was  safe ;  "  we  heard  screams  from  this 
cabin." 

"  My  aunt  and  Biddy  have  been  frightened,"  answered 
Rose,  "  but  neither  has  been  hurt.  Oh,  Harry,  what  terri 
ble  thing  has  happened  to  us?  I  heard  the  roaring  of — " 

"  "T  was  a  tornado,"  interrupted  Mulford  eagerly,  "  but 
't  is  over.  'T  was  one  of  those  sudden  and  tremendous  gusts 
that  sometimes  occur  within  the  tropics,  in  which  the  danger 
is  usually  in  the  first  shock.  If  no  one  is  injured  in  this 
cabin,  no  one  is  injured  at  all." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Mulford  —  dear  Mr.  Mulford  !"  exclaimed  the 
relict,  from  the  corner  into  which  she  had  been  followed 
and  jammed  by  Biddy,  "  Oh,  Mr.  Mulford,  are  we  foundered 
or  not?" 

"  Heaven  be  praised,  not,  my  dear  ma'am,  though  we 
came  nearer  to  it  than  I  ever  was  before." 

"Are  we  cap-asided  ?" 


136  JACK    TIER; 

'*  Nor  that,  Mrs.  Budd  ;  the  brig  is  as  upright  as  a  church." 

"  Upright !"  repeated  Biddy,  in  her  customary  accent,— 
"is  it  as  a  church?  Sure,  then,  Mr.  Mate,  'tis  a  Preshy- 
terian  church  that  you  mane,  and  that  is  always  totterin'." 

"Catholic,  or  Dutch — no  church  in  York  is  more  com« 
pletely  up  and  down  than  the  brig  at  this  moment." 

"  Get  off  of  me  —  get  off  of  me,  Biddy,  and  let  me  rise," 
said  the  widow,  \vith  dignity.  "The  danger  is  over  I  see, 
and,  as  we  return  our  thanks  for  it,  we  have  the  consolation 
of  knowing  that  we  have  done  our  duty.  It  is  incumbent 
on  all,  at  such  moments,  to  be  at  their  posts,  and  to  set 
examples  of  decision  and  prudence." 

As  Mulford  saw  all  was  well  in  the  cabin,  he  hastened  on 
deck,  followed  by  Seiior  Montefalderon.  Just  as  they 
emerged  from  the  companion-way,  Spike  was  hailing  the 
forecastle. 

"  Forecastle,  there,"  he  cried,  standing  on  the  trunk  him 
self  as  he  did  so,  and  moving  from  side  to  side,  as  if  to  catch 
a  glimpse  of  some  object  ahead. 

"  Sir,"  came  back  from  an  old  salt,  who  was  coiling  up 
rigging  in  that  seat  of  seamanship. 

"  Wherc-away  is  the  schooner?  -She  ought  to  be  dead 
ahead  of  us,  as  we  tend  now — but  blast  me  if  I  can  see  as 
much  as  her  mast-heads." 

At  this  suggestion,  a  dozen  men  sprang  upon  guns  or 
other  objects,  to  look  for  the  vessel  in  question.  The  old 
salt  forward,  however,  had  much  the  best  chance,  for  he 
stepped  on  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit,  and  walked  as  far  out 
as  the  knight-heads,  to  command  the  whole  view  ahead  of 
the  brig.  There  he  stood  half  a  minute,  looking  first  on 
one  side  of  the  head-gear,  then  the  other,  when  he  gave  his 
trousers  a  hitch,  put  a  fresh  quid  in  his  mouth,  and  called 
out  in  a  voice  almost  as  hoarse  as  the  tempest,  that  had  just 
gone  by, 

"  The  schooner  has  gone  down  at  her  anchor,  sir. 
There's  her  buoy  watching  still,  as  if  nothing  had  happened  ; 
but  as  for  the  craft  itself,  there's  not  so  much  as  a  bloody 
yard-arm,  or  mast-head  of  her  to  be  seen  !" 

This  news  produced  a  sensation  in  the  brig  at  once,  as 
may  he  supposed.  Even  Senor  Montefalderon,  a  quiet, 
gentleman-like  person,  altogether  superior  in  deportment  to 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  137 

the  bustle  and  fuss  that  usually  marks  the  manners  of  per 
sons  in  trade,  was  disturbed  ;  for  to  him  the  blow  was  heavy 
indeed.  Whether  he  were  acting  for  himself,  or  was  an 
agent  of  the  Mexican  government,  the  loss  was  much  the 
same. 

"  Tom  is  right  enough,"  put  in  Spike,  rather  coolly  for 
the  circumstances — "  that  there  schooner  of  yourn  has  foun 
dered,  Don  Wan,  as  any  one  can  see.  She  must  have  cap 
sized  and  filled,  for  I  obsarved  they  had  left  the  hatches  off, 
meaning,  no  doubt,  to  make  an  end  of  the  storage  as  soon 
as  they  had  done  sleeping." 

"And  what  has  become  of  all  her  men,  Don  Esteban  ?" 
for  so  the  Mexican  politely  called  his  companion.  "Have 
all  my  poor  countrymen  perished  in  this  disaster?" 

"  I  fear  they  have,  Don  Wan ;  for  I  see  no  head,  as  of 
any  one  swimming.  The  vessel  lay  so  near  that  island 
next  to  it,  that  a  poor  swimmer  would  have  no  difficulty  in 
reaching  the  place;  but  there  is  no  living  thing  to  be  seen. 
But  man  the  boat,  men  ;  we  will  go  to  the  spot,  Seiior,  and 
examine  for  ourselves." 

There  were  two  boats  in  the  water,  and  along-side  of  the 
brig.  One  was  the  Swash's  yawl,  a  small  but  convenient 
craft,  while  the  other  was  much  larger,  fitted  with  a  sail, 
and  had  all  the  appearance  of  having  been  built  to  withstand 
breezes  and  seas.  Mulford  felt  perfectly  satisfied,  the  mo 
ment  he  saw  this  boat,  which  had  come  into  the  haven  in 
tow  of  the  schooner,  that  it  had  been  originally  in  the  ser 
vice  of  the  light-house  keeper,  ^s  there  was  a  very  general 
desire  among  those  on  the  quarter-deck  to  go  to  the  assist 
ance  of  the  schooner,  Spike  ordered  both  boats  manned, 
jumping  into  the  yawl  himself,  accompanied  by  Don  Juan 
Montefalderon,  and  telling  Mulford  to  follow  with  the  larger 
craft,  bringing  with  him  as  many  of  the  females  as  might 
choose  to  accompany  him.  As  Mrs.  Budd  thought  it  in 
cumbent  on  her  to  be  active  in  such  a  scene,  all  did  go, 
including  Biddy,  though  with  great  reluctance  on  the  part 
of  Rose. 

With  the  buoy  for  a  guide,  Spike  had  no  difficulty  in 

finding  the  spot  where  the  schooner  lay.     She  had  scarcely 

shifted  her  berth  in  the  least,  there  having  been  no  time  for 

her  even  to  swing  to  the  gust,  but  she  had  probably  cap- 

12* 


138     0  JACK  TIER; 

sized  at  the  first  blast,  filled,  and  gone  down  instantly. 
The  water  was  nearly  as  clear  as  the  calm,  mild  atmosphere 
of  the  tropics;  and  it  was  almost  as  easy  to  discern  the 
vessel,  and  all  her  hamper,  as  if  she  lay  on  a  beach.  She 
had  sunk  as  she  filled,  or  on  her  side,  and  still  continued  in 
that  position.  As  the  water  was  little  more  than  three 
fathoms  deep,  the  upper  side  was  submerged  but  a  few 
inches,  and  her  yard-arms  would  have  been  out  of  the 
water,  but  for  the  circumstance  that  the  yards  had  canted 
under  the  pressure. 

At  first,  no  sign  was  seen  of  any  of  those  who  had  been 
on  board  this  ill-fated  schooner  when  she  went  down.  It 
was  known  that  twenty-one  souls  were  in  her,  including  the 
man  and  the  boy  who  had  belonged  to  the  light-house.  As 
the  boat  moved  slowly  over  this  sad  ruin,  however,  a  horri 
ble  and  startling  spectacle  came  in  view.  Two  bodies  were 
seen,  within  a  few  feet  of  the  surface  of  the  water,  one 
grasped  in  the  arms  of  the  other,  in  the  gripe  of  despair. 
The  man  held  in  the  grasp,  was  kept  beneath  the  water 
solely  by  the  death-lock  of  his  companion,  who  was  himself 
held  where  he  floated,  by  the  circumstance  that  one  of  his 
feet  was  entangled  in  a  rope.  The  struggle  could  not  have 
been  long  over,  for  the  two  bodies  were  slowly  settling 
toward  the  bottom  when  first  seen.  It  is  probable  that  both 
these  men  had  more  than  once  risen  to  the  surface  in  their 
dreadful  struggle.  Spike  seized  a  boat-hook,  and  made  an 
effort  to  catch  the  clothes  of  the  nearest  body,  but  ineffectu 
ally,  both  sinking  to  the  sands  beneath,  lifeless,  and  without 
motion.^.  There  being  no  sharks  in  sight,  Mulford  volun- 
teerecTto  dive  and  fasten  a  line  to  one  of  these  unfortunate 
men,  whom  Don  Juan  declared  at  once  was  the  schooner's 
captain.  Some  little  time  was  lost  in  procuring  a  lead-line 
from  the  brig,  when  the  lead  was  dropped  alongside  of  the 
drowned.  Provided  with  another  piece  of  the  same  sort  of 
line,  which  had  a  small  running  bowline  around  that  which 
was  fastened  to  the  lead,  the  mate  made  his  plunge,  and 
went  down  with  great  vigour  of  arm.  It  required  resolution 
and  steadiness  to  descend  so  far  into  salt  water;  but  Harry 
succeeded,  and  rose  with  the  bodies,  which  came  up  with 
the  slightest  impulse.  All  were  immediately  got  into  the 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  139 

boat,  and  away  the  latter  went  toward  the  light-house,  which 
was  nearer  and  more  easy  of  access  than  the  brig. 

It  is  probable  that  one  of  these  unfortunate  men  might 
have  been  revived  under  judicious  treatment ;  but  he  was 
not  fated  to  receive  it.  Spike,  who  knew  nothing  of  such 
matters,  undertook  to  direct  everything,  and,  instead  of 
having  recourse  to  warmth  and  gentle  treatment,  he  ordered 
the  bodies  to  be  rolled  on  a  cask,  suspended  them  by  the 
heels,  and  resorted  to  a  sort  of  practice  that  might  have  de 
stroyed  well  men,  instead  of  resuscitating  those  in  whom 
the  vital  spark  was  dormant,  if  not  actually  extinct. 

Two  hours  later,  Rose,  seated  in  her  own  cabin,  una 
voidably  overheard  the  following  dialogue,  which  passed  in 
English,  a  language  that  Senor  Montefalderon  spoke  per 
fectly  well,  as  has  been  said. 

"Well,  Senor,"  said  Spike,"!  hope  this  little  accident 
will  not  prevent  our  final  trade.  You  will  want  the  brig 
now,  to  take  the  schooner's  place." 

"  And  how  am  I  to  pay  you  for  the  brig,  Senor  Spike, 
even  if  I  buy  her  1" 

"  I'll  ventur'  to  guess  there  is  plenty  of  money  in  Mexi 
co.  Though  they  do  say  the  government  is  so  backward 
about  paying,  I  have  always  found  you  punctual,  and  am 
not  afraid  to  put  faith  in  you  ag'in." 

"  But  I  have  no  longer  any  money  to  pay  you  half  ia 
hand,  as  I  did  for  the  powder,  when  last  in  New  York." 

"The  bag  was  pretty  well  lined  with  doubloons  when  I 
saw  it  last,  Senor." 

"And  do  you  know  where  that  bag  is;  and  where  there 
is  another  that  holds  the  same  sum?" 

Spike  started,  and  he  mused  in  silence  some  little  time, 
ere  he  again  spoke. 

"  I  had  forgotten,"  he  at  length  answered.  "  The  gold 
must  have  all  gone  down  in  the  schooner,  along  with  the 
powder !" 

"  And  the  poor  men  !" 

"  Why,  as  for  the  men,  Sefior,  more  may  be  had  for  the 
asking;  but  powder  and  doubloons  will  be  hard  to  find, 
when  most  wanted.  Then  the  men  were  poor  men,  accord- 
in'  to  my  idees  of  what  an  able  seaman  should  be,  or  they 


140  JACK   TIER; 

'never  would  have  lot  their  schooner  turn  turtle  with  them 
as  she  did." 

"  We  will  talk  of  the  money,  Don  Esteban,  if  you  please," 
said  the  Mexican,  with  reserve. 

"  With  all  my  heart,  Don  Wan — nothing  is  more  agree 
able  to  me  than  money.  How  many  of  them  doubloons 
shall  fall  to  my  share,  if  I  raise  the  schooner  and  put  you 
in  possession  of  your  craft  again?'1 

"  Can  that  be  done,  Sefior  ?"  demanded  Don  Juan  ear 
nestly. 

''  A  seaman  can  do  almost  anything,  in  that  way,  Don 
Wan,  if  you  will  give  him  time  and  means.  For  one-half 
the  doubloons  I  can  find  in  the  wrack,  the  job  shall  be 
done." 

"  You  can  have  them,"  answered  Don  Juan,  quietly,  a 
good  deal  surprised  that  Spike  should  deem  it  necessary  to 
offer  him  any  part  of  the  sum  he  might  find.  "  As  for  the 
powder,  I  suppose  that  is  lost  to  my  country." 

"  Not  at  all,  Don  Wan.  The  flour  is  well  packed  around 
it,  and  I  don't  expect  it  would  take  any  harm  in  a  month. 
I  shall  not  only  turn  over  the  flour  to  you,  just  as  if  nothing 
had  happened,  but  I  shall  put  four  first-rate  hands  aboard 
your  schooner,  who  will  take  her  into  port  for  you,  with  a 
good  deal  more  sartainty  than  forty  of  the  men  you  had. 
My  male  is  a  prime  navigator." 

This  concluded  the  bargain,  every  word  of  which  was 
heard  by  Rose,  and  every  word  of  which  she  did  not  fail  to 
communicate  to  Mulford,  the  moment  there  was  an  oppor 
tunity.  The  young  man  heard  it  with  great  interest,  telling 
Rose  that  he  should  do  all  he  could  to  assist  in  raising  the 
schooner,  in  the  hope  that  something  might  turn  up  to  ena 
ble  him  to  escape  in  her,  taking  off  Rose  and  her  aunt.  As 
for  his  carrying  her  into  a  Mexican  port,  let  them  trust  him 
for  that !  Agreeably  to  the  arrangement,  orders  were  given 
that  afternoon  to  commence  the  necessary  preparations  for 
the  work,  and  considerable  progress  was  made  in  them  by 
the  time  the  Swash's  people  were  ordered  to  knock  off  work 
for  the  night. 

After  the  sun  had  set,  the  reaction  in  the  currents  again 
commenced,  and  it  blew  for  a  few  hours  heavily,  during  the 
night.  Toward  morning,  however,  it  moderated,  and  when 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  Ill 

the  sun  re-appeared  it  scarcely  ever  diffused  its  rays  over  a 
more  peaceful  or  quiet  day.  Spike  caused  all  hands  to  be 
called,  and  immediately  set  about  the  important  business  he 
had  before  him. 

In  order  that  the  vessel  might  be  as  free  as  possible, 
Jack  Tier  was  directed  to  skull  the  females  ashore,  in  the 
brig's  yawl ;  Senor  Montefalderon,  a  man  of  polished  man 
ners,  as  we  maintain  is  very  apt  to  be  the  case  with  Mexi 
can  gentlemen,  whatever  may  be  the  opinion  of  this  good 
republic  on  the  subject  just  at  this  moment,  asked  permis 
sion  to  be  of  the  party.  Mulford  found  an  opportunity  to 
beg  Rose,  if  they  landed  at  the  light,  to  reconnoitre  the 
place  well,  with  a  view  to  ascertain  what  facilities  it  could 
afford  in  an  attempt  to  escape.  They  did  land  at  the  light, 
and  glad  enough  were  Mrs.  Budd,  Rose  and  Biddy  to  place 
their  feet  on  terra  Jirma  after  so  long  a  confinement  to  the 
narrow  limits  of  a  vessel. 

"  Well,"  said  Jack  Tier,  as  they  walked  up  to  the  spot 
where  the  buildings  stood,  "this  is  a  rum  place  for  a  light'us, 
'lose,  and  I  don't  wonder  the  keeper  and  his  mess 
mates  has  cleared  out." 

';  I  am  very  sorry  to  say,"  observed  Senor  Montefalderon, 
whose  countenance  expressed  the  concern  he  really  felt, 
'*  that  the  keeper  and  his  only  companion,  a  boy,  were  on 
board  the  schooner,  and  have  perished  in  her,  in  common 
with  so  many  of  my  poor  countrymen.  There  are  the 
graves  of  two  whom  \ve  buried  here  last  evening,  after  vain 
efforts  to  restore  them  to  life !" 

"'What  a  dreadful  catastrophe  it  has  been,  Senor,' 
Rose,  whose  sweet  countenance   eloquently  expressed  the 
horror  and  regret  she  so  naturally  fell — '  T.venty  fellow- 
js    hurried  into  eternity  without  even  an   instant  for 
pray 

"  You  feel  for  them,  Sefiorita — it  is  natural  you  should, 
and  it  is  natural  that  I,  their  countryman  and  leader,  should 
feel  for  them,  also.  I  do  not  know  what  God  has  in  reserve 
for  my  unfortunate  country  !  We  may  have  cruel  and  un 
scrupulous  men  among  us,  Senorita,  but  we  have  thousands 
who  are  just,  and  brave,  and  honourable." 

"  So  Mr.  MuSford  tells  me,  Senor ;  and  he  has  been  much 
in  your  ports,  on  the  west  coast." 


142  JACK  TIER; 

"I  like  that  young  man,  and  wonder  not  a  little  at  his 
and  your  situation  in  this  brig — "  rejoined  the  Mexican, 
dropping  his  voice  so  as  not  to  he  heard  by  their  companions, 
as  they  walked  a  little  ahead  of  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy. 
"  The  Senor  Spike  is  scarcely  worthy  to  be  his  commander 
or  your  guardian." 

"  Yet  you  find  him  worthy  of  your  intercourse  and  trust, 
Don  Juan?" 

The  Mexican  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  smiled  equivo 
cally  ;  still,  in  a  melancholy  manner.  It  would  seem  he 
did  not  deem  it  wise  to  push  this  branch  of  the  subject  fur 
ther,  since  he  turned  to  another. 

"  I  like  the  Sefior  Mulford,"  he  resumed,  "  for  his  gene 
ral  deportment  and  principles,  so  far  as  I  can  judge  of  him 
on  so  short  an  acquaintance." 

"  Excuse  me,  Senor,"  interrupted  Rose,  hurriedly — "  but 
you  never  saw  him  until  you  met  him  here." 

"  Never — I  understand  you,  Senorita,  and  can  do  full 
justice  to  the  young  man's  character.  I  am  willing  to  think 
he  did  not  know  the  errand  of  his  vessel,  or  I  should  riot 
have  seen  him  now.  But  what  I  most  like  him  for,  is  this ! 
Last  night,  during  the  gale,  he  and  I  walked  the  deck  to 
gether,  for  an  hour.  We  talked  of  Mexico,  and  of  this  war, 
so  unfortunate  for  my  country  already,  and  which  may  be 
come  still  more  so,  when  he  uttered  this  noble  sentiment — « 
'My  country  is  more  powerful  than  yours,  Senor  Monlefal- 
deron,'  he  said,  '  and  in  this  it  has  been  more  favoured  by 
God.  You  have  suffered  from  ambitious  rulers,  and  from 
military  rule,  while  we  have  been  advancing  under  the  arts 
of  peace,  favoured  by  a  most  beneficent  Providence.  As 
for  this  war,  I  know  but  little  about  it,  though  I  dare  say 
the  Mexican  government  may  have  been  wrong  in  some 
tilings  that  it  might  have  controlled  and  some  that  it  might 
not — but  let  right  be  where  it  will,  I  am  sorry  to  see  a 
nation  that  has  taken  so  firm  a  stand  in  favour  of  popular 
government,  pressed  upon  so  hard  by  another  that  is  sup 
posed  to  be  the  great  support  of  such  principles.  America 
and  Mexico  are  neighbours,  and  ought  to  be  friends ;  and 
while  I  do  riot,  cannot  blame  my  own  country  for  pursuing 
the  war  with  vigour,  nothing  would  please  me  more  than  to 
hear  peace  proclaimed.'  " 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  143 

"That  is  just  like  Harry  Mulford,"  said  Rose,  thought- 
fully,  as  soon  us  her  companion  ceased  to  speak.  "  1  do 
wish,  Seiior,  that  there  could  be  no  use  for  this  powder,  that 
is  now  buried  in  the  sea." 

Don  Juan  Montefalderon  smiled,  and  seemed  a  little  sur 
prised  that  the  fair  young  thing  at  his  side  should  have 
known  of  the  treacherous  contents  of  the  flour-barrels.  No 
doubt  he  found  it  inexplicable,  that  persons  like  Rose  and 
Mulford  should,  seemingly,  be  united  with  one  like- Spike; 
but  he  was  too  well  bred,  and,  indeed,  too  effectually  mysti 
fied,  to  push  the  subject  further  than  might  be  discreet. 

By  this  time  they  were  near  the  entrance  of  the  light 
house,  into  which  the  whole  party  entered,  in  a  sort  of  mute 
awe  at  its  silence  and  solitude.  At  Senor  Montefulderon's 
invitation,  they  ascended  to  the  lantern,  whence  they  could 
command  a  wide  and  fair  view  of  the  surrounding  waters. 
The  reef  was  much  more  apparent  from  that  elevation  than 
from  below;  and  Rose  could  see  that  numbers  of  its  rocks 
were  bare,  while  on  other  parts  of  it  there  was  the  appear 
ance  of  many  feet  of  water.  Rose  gazed  at  it  with  longing 
eyes,  for,  from  a  few  remarks  that  had  fallen  from  Mulford, 
she  suspected  he  had  hopes  of  escaping  among  its  channels 
and  coral. 

As  they  descended  and  walked  through  the  buildings, 
Rose  also  took  good  heed  of  the  supplies  the  place  afforded. 
There  were  flour,  and  beef,  and  pork,  and  many  other  of  the 
common  articles  of  food,  as  well  as  water  in  a  cistern,  that 
caught  it  as  it  flowed  from  the  roof  of  the  dwelling.  Water 
was  also  to  be  found  in  casks — nothing  like  a  spring  or  a 
well  existing  among  those  islets.  All  these  things  Rose 
noted,  putting  them  aside  in  her  memory  for  ready  reference 
hereafter. 

In  the  mean  time  the  mariners  were  not  idle.  Spiko 
moved  his  brig,  and  moored  her,  head  and  stern,  alongside 
of  the  wreck,  before  the  people  got  their  breakfasts.  As 
soon  as  that  meal  was  ended,  both  captain  and  mate  set 
about  their  duty  in  earnest.  Mulford  carried  out  an  anchor 
on  the  off-side  of  the  Swash,  and  dropped  it  at  a  distance  of 
about  eighty  fathoms  from  the  vessel's  beam.  Purchases 
were  brought  from  both  mast-heads  of  the  brig  to  the  chain 
of  this  anchor,  and  were  hove  upon  until  the  vessel  was 


r 


144  JACK  TIER; 

given  a  heel  of  more  than  a  streak,  and  the  cable  was  tole 
rably  taut.  Other  purchases  were  got  up  opposite,  and 
overhauled  down,,  in  readiness  to  take  hold  of  the  schooner's 
masts.  The  anchor  of  the  schooner  was  weighed  by  its 
buoy- rope,  and  the  chain,  after  being  rove  through  the 
upper  or  opposite  hawse- hole,  brought  in  on  board  the 
Swash.  Another  chain  was  dropped  astern,  in  such  a  way, 
that  when  the  schooner  came  upright,  it  would  be  sure  to 
pass  beneath  her  keel,  some  six  or  eight  feet  from  the  rud 
der.  Slings  were  then  sunk  over  the  mast-heads,  and  the 
purchases  were  hooked  on.  Hours  were  consumed  in  these 
preliminary  labours,  and  the  people  went  to  dinner  as  soon 
as  they  were  completed. 

When  the  men  had  dined,  Spike  brought  one  of  his  pur- 
chases  to  the  windlass,  and  the  other  to  the  capstan,  though 
not  until  each  was  bowsed  taut  by  hand  ;  a  few  minutes 
having  brought  the  strain  so  far  on  everything,  as  to  enable 
a  seaman,  like  Spike,  to  form  some  judgment  of  the  likeli 
hood  that  his  preventers  and  purchases  would  stand.  Some 
changes  were  found  necessary  to  equalize  the  strain,  but, 
on  the  whole,  the  captain  was  satisfied  with  his  work,  and 
the  crew  were  soon  ordered  to  "  heave-away ;  the  windlass 
best." 

In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  the  hull  of  the  vessel,  which 
lay  on  its  bilge,  began  to  turn  on  its  keel,  and  the  heads  of 
the  spars  to  rise  above  the  water.  This  was  the  easiest 
part  of  the  process,  all  that  was  required  of  the  purchases 
being  to  turn  over  a  mass  which  rested  on  the  sands  of  the 
bay.  Aided  by  the  long  levers  afforded  by  the  spars,  the 
work  advanced  so  rapidly,  that,  in  just  one  hour's  time  after 
his  people  had  begun  to  heave,  Spike  had  the  pleasure  to 
see  the  schooner  standing  upright,  alongside  of  his  own  brig, 
though  still  sunk  to  the  bottom.  The  wreck  was  secured 
in  this  position,  by  means  of  guys  and  preventers,  in  order 
that  it  might  not  again  cant,  when  the  order  was  issued  to 
hook  on  the  slings  that  were  to  raise  it  to  the  surface. 
These  slings  were  the  chains  of  the  schooner,  one  of  which 
went  under  her  keel,  while  for  the  other  the  captain  trusted 
to  the  strength  of  the  two  hawse-holes,  having  passed  the 
cable  out  of  one  and  in  at  the  other,  in  a  way  to  serve  his 
purposes,  as  has  just  been  stated. 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  145 

When  all  was  ready,  Spike  mustered  his  crew,  and  mado 
a  speech.  He  told  the  men  that  he  was  about  a  job  that 
was  out  of  the  usual  line  of  their  duty,  and  that  he  knew 
they  had  a  right  to  expect  extra  pay  for  such  extra  work. 
The  schooner  contained  money,  and  his  object  was  to  get 
at  it.  If  he  succeeded,  their  reward  would  be  a  doubloon  a 
man,  which  would  be  earning  more  than  a  month's  wages 
by  twenty-four  hours'  work.  This  was  enough.  The  men 
wanted  to  hear  no  more ;  but  they  cheered  their  commander, 
and  set  about  their  task  in  the  happiest  disposition  possible. 

The  reader  will  understand  that  the  object  to  be  first 
achieved,  was  to  raise  a  vessel,  with  a  hold  filled  with  flour 
and  gunpowder,  from  off*  the  bottom  of  the  bay  to  its  surface. 
As  she  stood,  the  deck  of  this  vessel  was  about  six  feet  un 
der  water,  and  every  one  will  understand  that  her  weight, 
so  long  as  it  was  submerged  in  a  fluid  as  dense  as  that  of 
the  sea,  would  be  much  more  manageable  than  if  suspended 
in  air.  The  barrels,  for  instance,  were  not  much  heavier 
than  the  water  they  displaced,  and  the  wood  work  of  the 
vessel  itself,  was,  on  the  whole,  positively  lighter  than  the 
element  in  which  it  had  sunk.  As  for  the  water  in  the  hold, 
that  was  of  the  same  weight  as  the  water  on  the  outside  of 
tne  craft,  and  there  had  not  been  much  to  carry  the  schooner 
down,  beside  her  iron,  the  spars  that  were  out  of  water,  and 
her  ballast.  This  last,  some  ten  or  twelve  tons  in  weight, 
was  in  fact  the  principal  difficulty,  and  alone  induced  Spike 
to  have  any  doubts  about  his  eventual  success.  There  was 
no  foreseeing  the  result  until  he  had  made  a  trial,  however  ; 
and  the  order  was  again  given  to  "  heave  away." 

To  the  infinite  satisfaction  of  the  Swash's  crew,  the  weight 
was  found  quite  manageable,  so  long  as  the  hull  remained 
beneath  the  water.  Mulford,  with  three  or  four  assistants, 
was  kept  on  board  the  schooner  lightening  her,  by  getting 
the  other  anchor  off  her  bows,  and  throwing  the  different 
objects  overboard,  or  on  the  decks  of  the  brig.  By  the  time 
the  bulwarks  reached  the  surface,  as  much  was  gained  in 
this  way,  as  was  lost  by  having  so  much  of  the  lighter  wood 
work  rise  above  the  water.  As  a  matter  of  course,  how 
ever,  the  weight  increased  as  the  vessel  rose,  and  more  espe 
cially  as  the  lower  portion  of  the  spars,  the  bowsprit,  boom, 

VOL.  I.  — 13 


146  JACK   TIER; 

&c.,  from  being  buoyant  assistants,  became  so  much  dead 
weight  to  be  lifted. 

Spike  kept  a  watchful  eye  on  his  spars,  and  the  extra  sup 
ports  he  had  given  them.  He  was  moving,  the  whole  time, 
from  point  to  point,  feeling  shrouds  and  back-stays,  and  pre 
venters,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  degree  of  strain  on  each, 
or  examining  how  the  purchases  stood.  As  for  the  crew, 
they  cheered  at  their  toil,  incessantly,  passing  from  capstan 
bars  to  the  handspikes,  and  vice  versd.  They,  too,  felt  that 
their  task  was  increasing  in  resistance  as  it  advanced,  and 
now  found  it  more  difficult  to  gain  an"  inch,  than  it  had  been 
at  first  to  gain  a  foot.  They  seemed,  indeed,  to  be  heav 
ing  their  own  vessel  out,  instead  of  heaving  the  other  craft 
up,  and  it  was  not  long  before  they  had  the  Swash  heeling 
over  toward  the  wreck  several  streaks.  The  strain,  more 
over,  on  everything,  became  not  only  severe,  but  somewhat 
menacing.  Every  shroud,  back-stay,  and  preventer  was  as 
taut  as  a  bar  of  iron,  and  the  chain -cable  that  led  to  the 
anchor  planted  off  abeam,  was  as  straight  as  if  the  brig  were 
riding  by  it  in  a  gale  of  wind.  One  or  two  ominous  surges 
aloft,  too,  had  been  heard,  and,  though  no  more  than  straps 
and  slings  settling  into  their  places  under  hard  strains,  they 
served  to  remind  the  crew  that  danger  might  come  from  that 
quarter.  Such  was  the  state  of  things,  when  Spike  called 
out  to  "  heave  and  pall,"  that  he  might  take  a  look  at  the 
condition  of  the  wreck. 

Although  a  great  deal  remained  to  be  done,  in  order  to 
get  the  schooner  to  float,  a  great  deal  had  already  been  done. 
Her  precise  condition  was  as  follows  :  Having  no  cabin  win 
dows,  the  water  had  entered  her,  when  she  capsized,  by  the 
only  four  apertures  her  construction  possessed.  These  were 
the  companion-way,  or  cabin-doors ;  the  sky-light ;  the 
main-hatch,  or  the  large  inlet  arnid-ships,  by  which  cargo 
went  up  and  down ;  and  the  booby-hatch,  which  was  the 
counterpart  of  the  companion-way,  forward  ;  being  intended 
to  admit  of  ingress  to  the  forecastle,  the  apartment  of  the 
crew.  Each  of  these  hatch-ways,  or  orifices,  had  the  usual 
defences  of  "  coamings,"  strong  frame-work  around  their 
margins.  These  coamings  rose  six  or  eight  inches  above 
the  deck,  and  answered  the  double  purpose  of  strengthening 
the  vessel,  in  a  part,  that  without  them  would  be  weaker 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  147 

than  common,  and  of  preventing  any  water  that  might  be 
washing  about  the  decks  from  running  below.  As  soon, 
therefore,  as  these  three  apertures,  or  their  coamings,  could 
be  raised  above  the  level  of  the  water  of  the  basin,  all  dan 
ger  of  the  vessel's  receiving  any  further  tribute  of  that  sort 
from  the  ocean  would  be  over.  It  was  to  this  end,  conse 
quently,  that  Spike's  efforts  had  been  latterly  directed, 
though  they  had  only  in  part  succeeded.  The  schooner 
possessed  a  good  deal  of  sheer,  as  it  is  termed  ;  or,  her  two 
extremities  rose  nearly  a  foot  above  her  centre,  when  on  an 
even  keel.  This  had  brought  her  extremities  first  to  the 
surface,  and  it  was  the  additional  weight  which  had  conse 
quently  been  brought  into  the  air  that  had  so  much  increased 
the  strain,  and  induced  Spike  to  pause.  The  deck  forward, 
as  far  aft  as  the  foremast,  and  aft  as  far  forward  as  the 
centre  of  the  trunk,  or  to  the  sky-light,  was  above  the  water, 
or  at  least  awash  ;  while  all  the  rest  of  it  was  covered.  In 
the  vicinity  of  the  main-hatch  there  were  several  inches  of 
water ;  enough  indeed  to  leave  the  upper  edge  of  the  coam 
ings  submerged  by  about  an  inch.  To  raise  the  keel  that 
inch  by  means  of  the  purchases,  Spike  well  knew  would 
cost  him  more  labour,  and  would  incur  more  risk  than  all 
that  had  been  done  previously,  and  he  paused  before  he 
would  attempt  it. 

The  men  were  now  called  from  the  brig  and  ordered  to 
come  on  board  the  schooner.  Spike  ascertained  by  actual 
measurement  how  much  was  wanted  to  bring  the  coamings 
of  the  main-hatch  above  the  water,  until  which,  he  knew, 
pumping  and  bailing  would  be  useless.  He  found  it  was 
quite  an  inch,  and  was  at  a  great  loss  to  know  how  that 
inch  should  be  obtained.  Mulford  advised  another  trial  with 
the  handspikes  and  bars,  but  to  this  Spike  would  not  con 
sent.  He  believed  that  the  masts  of  the  brig  had  already  as 
much  pressure  on  them  as  they  would  bear.  The  mate 
next  proposed  getting  the  main  boom  off  the  vessel,  and  to 
lighten  the  craft  by  cutting  away  her  bowsprit  and  masts. 
The  captain  was  well  enough  disposed  to  do  thisj  but  he 
doubted  whether  it  would  meet  with  the  approbation  of"  Don 
Wan,"  who  was  still  ashore  with  Rose  and  her  aunt,  and 
who  probably  looked  forward  to  recovering  his  gunpowder 


148  JACK   TIER; 

by  means  of  those  very  spars.  At  length  the  carpenter  hit 
upon  a  plan  that  was  adopted. 

This  plan  was  very  simple,  though  it  had  its  own  inge 
nuity.  It  will  be  remembered  that  water  could  now  only 
enter  the  vessel's  hold  at  the  main-hatch,  all  the  other 
hatchways  having  their  coamings  above  the  element.  The 
carpenter  proposed,  therefore,  that  the  main-hatches,  which 
had  been  off  when  the  tornado  occurred,  but  which  had  been 
found  on  deck  when  the  vessel  righted,  should  now  be  put 
on,  oakum  being  first  laid  along  in  their  rabbetings,  and 
that  the  cracks  should  be  stuffed  with  additional  oakum,  to 
exclude  as  much  water  as  possible.  He  thought  that  two 
or  three  men,  by  using  caulking  irons  for  ten  minutes,  would 
make  the  hatch-way  so  tight  that  very  little  water  would 
penetrate.  While  this  was  doing,  he  himself  would  bore  as 
many  holes  forward  and  aft  as  he  could,  with  a  two  inch 
auger,  out  of  which  the  water  then  in  the  vessel  would  be 
certain  to  run.  Spike  was  delighted  with  this  project,  and 
gave  the  necessary  orders  on  the  spot. 

This  much  must  be  said  of  the  crew  of  the  Molly  Swash 
— whatever  they  did  in  their  own  profession,  they  did  intel 
ligently  and  well.  On  the  present  occasion  they  maintained 
their  claim  to  this  character,  and  were  both  active  and  ex 
pert.  The  hatches  were  soon  on,  and,  in  an  imperfect 
manner,  caulked.  While  this  was  doing,  the  carpenter  got 
into  a  boat,  and  going  under  the  schooner's  bows,  where  a 
whole  plank  was  out  of  water,  he  chose  a  spot  between  two 
of  the  timbers,  and  bored  a  hole  as  near  the  surface  of  the 
water  as  he  dared  to  do.  Not  satisfied  with  one  hole,  how- 
ever,  he  bored  many — choosing  both  sides  of  the  vessel  to 
make  them,  and  putting  some  aft  as  well  as  forward.  In  a 
word,  in  the  course  of  twenty  minutes  the  schooner  was 
tapped  in  at  least  a  dozen  places,  and  jets  of  water,  two 
inches  in  diameter,  were  spouting  from  her  on  each  bow, 
and  under  each  quarter. 

Spike  and  Mulford  noted  the  effect.  Some  water,  doubt 
less,  still  worked  itself  into  the  vessel  about  the  main-hatch, 
but  that  more  flowed  from  her  by  means  of  the  outlets  just 
named,  was  quite  apparent.  After  close  watching  at  the 
outlets  for  some  time,  Spike  was  convinced  that  the  schooner 
was  slowly  rising,  the  intense  strain  that  still  came  from  the 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  149 

brig  producing  that  effect  as  the  vessel  gradually  became 
lighter.  By  the  end  of  half  an  hour,  there  could  be  no 
longer  any  doubt,  the  holes,  which  had  been  bored  within  an 
inch  of  the  water,  being  now  fully  two  inches  above  it.  The 
auger  was  applied  anew,  still  nearer  to  the  surface  of  the 
sea,  and  as  fresh  outlets  were  made,  those  that  began  to 
manifest  a  dulriess  in  their  streams  were  carefully  plugged. 

Spike  now  thought  it  was  time  to  take  a  look  at  the  state 
of  things  on  deck.  Here,  to  his  joy,  he  ascertained  that  the 
coamings  had  actually  risen  a  little  above  the  water.  The 
reader  is  not  to  suppose  by  this  fising  of  the  vessel,  that  she 
had  become  sufficiently  buoyant,  in  consequence  of  the 
water  that  had  run  out  of  her,  to  float  of  herself.  This  was 
far  from  being  the  case;  but  the  constant  upward  pressure 
from  the  brig,  which,  on  mechanical  principles,  tended  con 
stantly  to  bring  that  craft  upright,  had  the  effect  to  lift  the 
schooner  as  the  latter  was  gradually  relieved  from  the 
weight  that  pressed  her  toward  the  bottom. 

The  hatches  were  next  removed,  when  it  was  found  that 
the  water  in  the  schooner's  hold  had  so  far  lowered,  as  to 
leave  a  vacant  space  of  quite  a  foot  between  the  lowest  part 
of  the  deck  and  its  surface.  Toward  the  two  extremities 
of  the  vessel  this  space  necessarily  was  much  increased,  in 
consequence  of  the  sheer.  Men  were  now  sent  into  the 
hatchway  with  orders  to  hook  on  to  the  flour-barrels — a 
whip  having  been  rigged  in  readiness  to  hoist  them  on  deck. 
At  the  same  time  gangs  were  sent  to  the  pumps,  though 
Spike  still  depended  for  getting  rid  of  the  water  somewhat 
on  the  auger — the  carpenter  continuing  to  bore  and  plug 
his  holes  as  new  opportunities  offered,  and  the  old  outlets 
became  useless.  It  was  true  this  expedient  would  soon 
cease,  for  the  water  having  found  its  level  in  the  vessel's 
hold,  was  very  nearly  on  a  level  also  with  that  on  the  out 
side.  Bailing  also  was  commenced,  both  forward  and  aft. 

Spike's  next  material  advantage  was  obtained  by  means 
of  the  cargo.  By  the  time  the  sun  had  set,  fully  two  hun 
dred  barrels  had  been  rolled  into  the  hatchway,  and  passed 
on  deck,  whence  about  half  of  them  were  sent  in  the  light 
house  boat  to  the  nearest  islet,  and  the  remainder  were 
transferred  to  the  deck  of  the  brig.  These  last  were  placed 
on  the  off  side  of  the  Swash,  and  aided  in  bringing  her 
13* 


150  JACK    TIER, 

nearer  upright.  A  great  deal  was  gained  in  getting  rid  of 
these  barrels.  The  water  in  the  schooner  lowered  just  as 
much  as  the  space  they  had  occupied,  and  the  vessel  was 
relieved  at  once  of  twenty  tons  in  weight. 

Just  after  the  sun  had  set,  Senor  Don  Juan  Montefalderon 
and  his  party  returned  on  board.  They  had  staid  on  the 
island  to  the  last  moment,  at  Rose's  request,  for  she  had 
taken  as  close  an  observation  of  everything  as  possible,  in 
order  to  ascertain  if  any  means  of  concealment  existed,  in 
the  event  of  her  aunt,  Biddy,  and  herself  quitting  the  brig. 
The  islets  were  all  too  naked  and  too  small,  however;  and 
she  was  compelled  to  return  to  the  Swash,  without  any  hopes 
derived  from  this  quarter. 

Spike  had  just  directed  the  people  to  get  their  suppers  as 
the  Mexican  came  on  board.  Together  they  descended  to 
the  schooner's  deck,  where  they  had  a  long  but  secret  con 
ference.  Senor  Montefalderon  was  a  calm,  quiet  and  rea 
sonable  man,  and  while  he  felt  as  one  would  be  apt  to  feel 
who  had  recently  seen  so  many  associates  swept  suddenly 
out  of  existence,  the  late  catastrophe  did  not  in  the  least  un 
man  him.  It  is  too  much  the  habit  of  the  American  people 
to  receive  their  impressions  from  newspapers,  which  throw 
off  their  articles  unreflectingly,  and  often  ignorantly,  as 
crones  in  petticoats  utter  their  gossip.  In  a  word,  the  opin 
ions  thus  obtained  are  very  much  on  a  level,  in  value,  with 
the  thoughts  of  those  who  are  said  to  think  aloud,  and  who 
give  utterance  to  all  the  crudities  and  trivial  rumours  that 
may  happen  to  reach  their  ears.  In  this  manner,  we  appre 
hend,  very  false  notions  of  our  neighbours  of  Mexico  have 
become  circulated  among  us.  That  nation  is  a  mixed  race, 
and  has  necessarily  the  various  characteristics  of  such  an 
origin,  and  it  is  unfortunately  little  influenced  by  the  diffu 
sion  of  intelligence  which  certainly  exists  here.  Although 
an  enemy,  it  ought  to  be  acknowledged,  however,  that  even 
Mexico  has  her  redeeming  points.  Anglo-Saxons  as  we 
are,  we  have  no  desire  unnecessarily  to  illustrate  that  very 
marked  feature  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  character,  which  prompts 
the  mother  stock  to  calumniate  all  who  oppose  it,  but  would 
rather  adopt  some  of  that  chivalrous  courtesy  of  which  so 
much  that  is  lofty  and  commendable  is  to  be  found  among 
the  descendants  of  Old  Spain. 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  151 

The  Seiior  Monlefalderon  was  earnestly  engaged  in  what 
he  conceived  to  be  the  cause  of  his  country.  It  was  scarcely 
possible  to  bring  together  two  men  impelled  by  motives  more 
distinct  than  Spike  and  this  gentleman.  The  first  was  act 
ing  under  impulses  of  the  lowest  and  most  grovelling  nature ; 
while  the  last  was  influenced  by  motives  of  the  highest. 
However  much  Mexico  may,  and  has,  weakened  her  cause 
by  her  own  punic  faith,  instability,  military  oppression,  and 
political  revolutions,  giving-  to  the  Texans  in  particular  am 
ple  justification  for  their  revolt,  it  was  not  probable  that  Don. 
Juan  Montefalderon  saw  the  force  of  all  the  arguments  that 
a  casuist  of  ordinary  ingenuity  could  certainly  adduce 
against  his  country;  for  it  is  a  most  unusual  thing  to  find  a 
man  anywhere,  who  is  willing  to  admit  that  the  positions  of 
an  opponent  are  good.  He  saw  in  the  events  of  the  day,  a 
province  wrested  from  his  nation ;  and,  in  his  reasoning  on 
the  subject,  entirely  overlooking  the  numerous  occasions  on 
which  his  own  fluctuating  government  had  given  sufficient 
justification,  not  to  say  motives,  to  their  powerful  neighbours 
to  take  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  and  redress  themselves, 
he  fancied  all  that  has  occurred  was  previously  planned; 
instead  of  regarding  it,  as  it  truly  is,  as  merely  the  result 
of  political  events  that  no  man  could  have  foreseen,  that  no 
man  had  originally  imagined,  or  that  any  man  could  control. 

Don  Juan  understood  Spike  completely,  and  quite  justly 
appreciated  not  only  his  character,  but  his  capabilities. 
Their  acquaintance  was  not  of  a  day,  though  it  had  ever 
been  marked  by  that  singular  combination  of  caution  and 
reliance  that  is  apt  to  characterize  the  intercourse  between 
the  knave  and  the  honest  man,  when  circumstances  compel 
not  only  communication,  but,  to  a  certain  extent,  confidence. 
They  now  paced  the  deck  of  the  schooner,  side  by  side,  for 
fully  an  hour,  during  which  time  the  price  of  the  vessel,  the 
means,  and  the  mode  of  payment  and  transfer,  were  fully 
settled  between  them. 

"  But  what  will  you  do  with  your  passengers,  Don  Este- 
ban.  1"  asked  the  Mexican  pleasantly,  when  the  more  mate 
rial  points  were  adjusted.  "  I  feel  a  great  interest  in  the 
young  lady  in  particular,  who  is  a  charming  senorita,  and 
who  tells  me  that  her  aunt  brought  her  this  voyage  on  ac 
count  of  her  health.  She  looks  much  too  blooming  to  be 


152  JACK    TIER; 

out  of  health,  and  if  she  were,  this  is  a  singular  voyage  for 
an  invalid  to  make !" 

"You  don't  understand  human  natur'  yet,  altogether,  I 
see,  Don  Wan,"  answered  Spike,  chuckling  and  winking. 
"As  you  and  I  are  not  only  good  friends,  but  what  a  body 
may  call  old  friends,  I  '11  let  you  into  a  secret  in  this  affair, 
well  knowing  that  you  '11  not  betray  it.  It 's  quite  true  that 
the  old  woman  thinks  her  niece  is  a  pulmonary,  as  they  call 
it,  and  that  this  v'y'ge  is  recommended  for  her,  but  the  gal 
is  as  healthy  as  she's  handsom'.". 

"  Her  constitution,  then,  must  be  very  excellent,  for  it  is 
seldom  I  have  seen  so  charming  a  young  woman.  But  if 
the  aunt  is  misled  in  this  matter,  how  has  it  been  with  the 


niece 


7" 


Spike  did  not  answer  in  words,  but  he  leered  upon  his 
companion,  and  he  winked. 

"  You  mean  to  be  understood  that  you  are  in  intelligence 
with  each  other,  I  suppose,  Don  Esteban,"  returned  the 
Senor  Montefalderon,  who  did  not  like  the  captain's  manner, 
and  was  willing  to  drop  the  discourse. 

Spike  then  informed  his  companion,  in  confidence,  that 
he  and  Rose  were  affianced,  though  without  the  aunt's  know 
ledge, — that  he  intended  to  marry  the  niece  the  moment  he 
reached  a  Mexican  port  with  the  brig,  and  that  it  was  their 
joint  intention  to  settle  in  the  country.  He  added  that  the 
affair  required  management,  as  his  intended  had  property, 
and  expected  more,  and  he  begged  Don  Juan  to  aid  him,  as 
things  drew  near  to  a  crisis.  The  Mexican  evaded  an  an 
swer,  and  the  discourse  dropped. 

The  moon  was  now  shining,  and  would  continue  to  throw 
its  pale  light  'over  the  scene  for  two  or  three  hours  longer. 
Spike  profited  by  the  circumstance  to  continue  the  work  of 
lightening  the  schooner.  One  of  the  first  things  done  next 
was  to  get  up  the  dead,  and  to  remove  them  to  the  boat. 
This  melancholy  office  occupied  an  hour,  the  bodies  being 
landed  on  the  islet,  near  the  powder,  and  there  interred  in 
the  sands.  Don  Juan  Montefalderon  attended  on  this  occa 
sion,  and  repeated  some  prayers  over  the  graves,  as  he  had 
done  in  the  morning,  in  the  cases  of  the  two  who  had  been 
buried  near  the  light-house. 

While  this  melancholy  duty  was  in  the  course  of  perform- 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  153 

ance,  that  of  pumping  and  bailing  was  continued,  under  the 
immediate  personal  superintendence  of  Mulford.  It  would 
not  be  easy  to  define,  with  perfect  clearness,  the  conflicting 
feelings  by  which  the  mate  of  the  Swash  was  now  impelled. 
He  had  no  longer  any  doubt  on  the  subject  of  Spike's  trea 
son,  and  had  it  not  been  for  Rose,  he  would  not  have  hesi 
tated  a  moment  about  making  off  in  the  light-house  boat  for 
Key  West,  in  order  to  report  all  that  had  passed  to  the  au 
thorities.  But  not  only  Rose  was  there,  and  to  be  cared  for, 
but  what  was  far  more  difficult  to  get  along  with,  her  aunt 
was  with  her.  It  is  true,  Mrs.  Budd  was  no  longer  Spike's 
dupe  ;  but  under  any  circumstances  she  was  a  difficult  sub 
ject  to  manage,  and  most  especially  so  in  all  matters  that 
related  to  the  sea.  Then  the  young  man  submitted,  more 
or  less,  to  the  strange  influence  which  a  fine  craft  almost 
invariably  obtains  over  those  that  belong  to  her.  He  did 
not  like  the  idea  of  deserting  the  Swash,  at  the  very  moment 
he  would  not  have  hesitated  about  punishing  her  owner  for 
his  many  misdeeds.  In  a  word,  Harry  was  too  much  of  a 
tar  not  to  feel  a  deep  reluctance  to  turn  against  his  cruise, 
or  his  voyage,  however  much  either  might  be  condemned  by 
his  judgment,  or  even  by  his  principles. 

It  was  quite  nine  o'clock  when  the  Senor  Montefalderon 
and  Spike  returned  from  burying  the  dead.  No  sooner  did 
the  last  put  his  foot  on  the  deck  of  his  own  vessel,  than  he 
felt  the  fall  of  one  of  the  purchases  which  had  been  em 
ployed  in  raising  the  schooner.  It  was  so  far  slack  as  to 
satisfy  him  that  the  latter  now  floated  by  her  own  buoyancy, 
though  it  might  be  well  to  let  all  stand  until  morning,  for 
the  purposes  of  security.  Thus  apprised  of  the  condition 
of  the  two  vessels,  he  gave  the  welcome  order  to  "  knock 
off  for  the  night." 


154  JACK   TIER; 


CHAPTER  VI. 

At  the  piping  of  all  hands, 
When  the  judgment  signal 's  spread — * 

When  the  islands  and  the  land, 
And  the  seas  give  up  their  dead, 
And  the  south  and  the  north  shall  come; 
When  the  sinner  is  dismayed, 
And  the  just  man  is  afraid, 
Then  heaven  be  thy  aid, 
Poor  Tom. 

BRAIXARD. 

THE  people  had  now  a  cessation  from  their  toil.  Of  all 
the  labour  known  to  sea-faring;  men,  that  of  pumping  is 
usually  thought  to  be  the  most  severe.  Those  who  work 
at  it  have  to  be  relieved  every  minute,  and  it  is  only  by 
having  gangs  to  succeed  each  other,  that  the  duty  can  be 
done  at  all  with  anything  like  steadiness.  In  the  present 
instance,  it  is  true,  that  the  people  of  the  Swash  were  sus 
tained  by  the  love  of  gold,  but  glad  enough  were  they  when 
Mulford  called  out  to  them  to  "  knock  off,  and  turn  in  for 
the  night."  It  was  high  time  this  summons  should  be  made, 
for  not  only  were  the  people  excessively  wearied,  but  the 
customary  hours  of  labour  were  so  far  spent,  that  the  light 
of  the  moon  had  some  time  before  begun  to  blend  with  the 
little  left  by  the  parting  sun.  Glad  enough  were  all  hands 
to  quit  the  toil ;  and  two  minutes  were  scarcely  elapsed  ere 
most  of  the  crew  had  thrown  themselves  down,  and  were 
buried  in  deep  sleep.  Even  Spike  and  Mulford  took  the 
rest  they  needed,  the  cook  alone  being  left  to  look  out  for 
the  changes  in  the  weather.  In  a  word,  everybody  but  this 
idler  was  exhausted  with  pumping  and  bailing,  and  even 
gold  had  lost  its  power  to  charm,  until  nature  was  recruited 
by  rest. 

The  excitement  produced  by  the  scenes  through  which 
they  had  so  lately  passed,  caused  the  females  to  sleep 
soundly,  too.  The  death-like  stillness  which  pervaded  the 


OR,     THE   FLORID  A    REEF.  155 

vessel  contributed  to  their  rest,  and  Rose  never  woke,  from 
the  first  few  minutes  after  her  head  was  on  her  pillow,  until 
near  four  in  the  morning.  The  deep  quiet  seemed  ominous 
to  one  who  had  so  lately  witnessed  the  calm  which  precedes 
the  tornado,  and  she  arose.  In  that  low  latitude  and  warm 
season,  few  clothes  were  necessary,  and  our  heroine  was  on 
deck  in  a  very  few  minutes.  Here  she  found  the  same 
grave-like  sleep  pervading  everything.  There  was  not  a 
breath  of  air,  and  the  ocean  seemed  to  be  in  one  of  its  pro- 
foundest  slumbers.  The  hard-breathing  of  Spike  could  be 
heard  through  the  open  windows  of  his  state-room,  and  this 
was  positively  the  only  sound  that  was  audible.  The  com 
mon  men,  who  lay  scattered  about  the  decks,  more  espe 
cially  from  the  mainmast  forward,  seemed  to  be  so  many 
logs,  and  from  Mulford  no  breathing  was  heard. 

The  morning  was  neither  very  dark  nor  very  light,  it 
being  easy  to  distinguish  objects  that  were  near,  while  those 
at  a  distance  were  necessarily  lost  in  obscurity.  Availing 
herself  of  the  circumstance,  Rose  went  as  far  as  the  gang 
way,  to  ascertain  if  the  cook  were  at  his  post.  She  saw 
him  lying  near  his  galley,  in  as  profound  a  sleep  as  any  of 
the  crew.  This  she  felt  to  be  wrong,  and  she  felt  alarmed, 
though  she  knew  not  why.  Perhaps  it  was  the  conscious 
ness  of  being  the  only  person  up  and  awake  at  that  hour  of 
deepest  night,  in  a  vessel  so  situated  as  the  Swash,  and  in 
a  climate  in  which  hurricanes  seem  to  be  the  natural  off 
spring  of  the  air.  Some  one  must  be  aroused,  and  her 
tastes,  feelings,  and  judgment,  all  pointed  to  Harry  Mulford 
as  the  person  she  ought  to  awaken.  He  slept  habitually  in 
his  clothes — the  lightest  summer  dress  of  the  tropics ;  and 
the  window  of  his  little  state-room  was  always  open  for  air. 
Moving  lightly  to  the  place,  Rose  laid  her  own  little,  soft 
hand  on  the  arm  of  the  young  man,  when  the  latter  was  on 
his  feet  in  an  instant.  A  single  moment  only  was  neces 
sary  to  regain  his  consciousness,  when  Mulford  left  the 
state-room  and  joined  Rose  on  the  quarter-deck. 

"  Why  am  I  called,  Rose,"  the  young  man  asked,  attem 
pering  his  voice  to  the  cairn  that  reigned  around  him  ;  "  and 
why  am  I  called  by  you  ?" 

Rose  explained  the  state  of  the  brig,  and  the  feeling  which 
induced  her  to  awaken  him.  With  woman's  gentleness  sho 


156  JACK  TIER; 

now  expressed  her  regret  for  having  robbed  Harry  of  his 
rest ;  had  she  reflected  a  moment,  she  might  have  kept 
watch  herself,  and  allowed  him  to  obtain  the  sleep  he  must 
surely  so  much  require. 

But  Mulford  laughed  at  this ;  protested  he  had  never 
been  awakened  at  a  more  favourable  moment,  and  would 
have  sworn,  had  it  been  proper,  that  a  minute's  further  sleep 
would  have  been  too  much  for  him.  After  these  first  expla 
nations,  Mulford  walked  round  the  decks,  carefully  felt  how 
much  strain  there  was  on  the  purchases,  and  rejoined  Rose 
to  report  that  all  was  right,  and  that  he  did  not  consider  it 
necessary  to  call  even  the  cook.  The  black  was  an  idler 
in  no  sense  but  that  of  keeping  watch,  and  he  had  toiled  the 
past  day  as  much  as  any  of  the  men,  though  it  was  not 
exactly  at  the  pumps. 

A  long  and  semi-confidential  conversation  now  occurred 
between  Ilarry  and  Rose.  They  talked  of  Spike,  the  brig, 
and  her  cargo,  and  of  the  delusion  of  the  captain's  widow. 
It  was  scarcely  possible  that  powder  should  be  so  mueh 
wanted  at  the  Havanna  as  to  render  smuggling,  at  so  much 
cost,  a  profitable  adventure  ;  and  Mulford  admitted  his  con 
victions  that  the  pretended  flour  was  originally  intended  for 
Mexico.  Rose  related  the  tenor  of  the  conversation  she 
had  overheard  between  the  two  parties,  Don  Juan  and  Don 
Esteban,  and  the  mate  no  longer  doubted  that  it  was  Spike's 
intention  to  sell  the  brig  to  the  enemy.  She  also  alluded 
to  what  had  passed  between  herself  and  the  stranger. 

Mulford  took  this  occasion  to  introduce  the  subject  of 
Jack  Tier's  intimacy  and  favour  with  Rose.  He  even  pro 
fessed  to  feel  some  jealousy  on  account  of  it,  little  as  there 
might  be  to  alarm  most  men  in  the  rivalry  of  such  a  com 
petitor.  Rose  laughed,  as  girls  will  laugh  when  there  is 
question  of  their  power  over  the  other  sex,  and  she  fairly 
shook  her  rich  tresses  as  she  declared  her  determination  to 
continue  to  smile  on  Jack  to  the  close  of  the  voyage.  Then, 
as  if  she  had  said  more  than  she  intended,  she  added  with 
woman's  generosity  and  tenderness, — 

"After  all,  Harry,  you  know  how  much  I  promised  to 
you  even  before  we  sailed,  and  how  much  more  since,  and 
have  no  just  cause  to  dread  even  Jack.  There  is  another 
reason,  however,  that  ought  to  set  your  mind  entirely  at 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  157 

case  on  his  account.  Jack  is  married,  and  has  a  partner 
living  at  this  very  moment,  as  he  does  not  scruple  to  avow 
himself." 

A  hissing  noise,  a  bright  light,  and  a  slight  explosion,  in 
terrupted  the  half-laughing  girl,  and  Mulford,  turning  on  his 
heel,  quick  as  thought,  saw  that  a  rocket  had  shot  into  the 
air,  from  a  point  close  under  the  bows  of  the  brig.  He;  was 
still  in  the  act  of  moving  toward  the  forecastle,  when,  at  the 
distance  of  several  leagues,  he  saw  the  explosion  of  another 
rocket  high  in  the  air.  He  knew  enough  of  the  practices 
of  vessels  of  war,  to  feel  certain  that  these  were  a  signal 
and  its  answer  from  some  one  in  the  service  of  government. 
Not  at  all  sorry  to  have  the  career  of  the  Swash  arrested, 
before  she  could  pass  into  hostile  hands,  or  before  evil  could 
befall  Rose,  M-ulford  reached  the  forecastle  just  in  time  to 
answer  the  inquiry  that  was  immediately  put  to  him,  in  the 
way  of  a  hail.  A  gig,  pulling  four  oars  only,  with  two 
officers  in  its  stern-sheets,  was  fairly  under  the  vessel's 
bows,  and  the  male  could  almost  distinguish  the  countenance 
of  the  officer  who  questioned  him,  the  instant  he  showed  his 
head  and  shoulders  above  the  bulwarks. 

"What  vessels  are  these?"  demanded  the  stranger, 
speaking  in  the  authoritative  manner  of  one  who  acted  for 
the  slate,  but  not  speaking  much  above  the  usual  conversa 
tional  tone. 

"American  and  Spanish,"  was  the  answer.  "  This  brig 
is  American — the  schooner  alongside  is  a  Spaniard,  that 
turned  turtle  in  a  tornado,  about  six-and-thirty  hours  since, 
and  on  which  we  have  been  hard  at  work  trying  to  raise 
her,  since  the  gale  which  succeeded  the  tornado  has  blown 
its  pipe  out." 

"Ay,  ay,  that's  the  story,  is  it?  I  did  not  know  what 
to  make  of  you,  lying  cheek  by  jowl,  in  this  fashion.  Was 
anybody  lost  on  board  the  schooner?" 

"All  hands,  including  every  soul  aft  and  forward,  the 
supercargo  excepted,  who  happened  to  be  aboard  here. 
We  buried  seventeen  bodies  this  afternoon  on  the  smallest 
of  the  Keys  that  you  see  near  at  hand,  and  two  this  morning 
alongside  of  the  light.  But  what  boat  is  that,  and  where 
are  you  from,  and  whom  are  you  signalling?" 

"  The  boat  is  a  gig,"  answered  the  stranger,  deliberately, 

VOL.  I.  — 14 


158  JACK  TIER; 

"and  she  belongs  to  a  cruiser  of  Uncle  Sam's,  that  is  off 
the  reef,  a  short  bit  to  the  eastward,  and  we  signalled  our 
captain.  But  I'll  come  on  board  you,  sir,  if  you  please." 

Mulford  walked  aft  to  meet  the  stranger  at  the  gangway, 
and  was  relieved,  rather  than  otherwise,  at  finding  that 
Spike  was  already  on  the  quarter-deck.  Should  the  vessel 
of  war  seize  the  brig,  he  could  rejoice  at  it,  but  so  strong 
were  his  professional  ideas  of  duty  to  the  craft  he  sailed  in, 
that  he  did  not  find  it  in  his  heart  to  say  aught  against  her. 
Were  any  mishap  to  befall  it,  or  were  justice  to  be  done,  he 
preferred  that  it  might  be  done  under  Spike's  own  super 
vision,  rather  than  under  his. 

"  Call  all  hands,  Mr.  Mulford,"  said  Spike,  as  they  met. 
"  I  see  a  streak  of  day  coming  yonder  in  the  east — let  all 
hands  be  called  at  once.  What  strange  boat  is  this  we  have 
alongside?" 

This  question  was  put  to  the  strangers,  Spike  standing 
on  his  gangway-ladder  to  ask  it,  while  the  mate  was  sum 
moning  the  crew.  The  officer  saw  that  a  new  person  was 
to  be  dealt  with,  and  in  his  quiet,  easy  way,  he  answered, 
while  stretching  out  his  hands  to  take  the  man-rope — 

"  Your  servant,  sir — we  are  man-of-war's  men,  belonging 
to  one  of  Uncle  Sam's  craft,  outside,  and  have  just  come  in 
to  pay  you  a  visit  of  ceremony.  I  told  one,  whom  I  sup 
pose  was  your  mate,  that  I  would  just  step  on  board  of  you." 

"  Ay,  ay — one  at  a  time,  if  you  please.  It 's  war-time, 
and  I  cannot  suffer  armed  boat's  crews  to  board  me  at 
night,  without  knowing  something  about  them.  Come  up 
yourself,  if  you  please,  but  order  your  people  to  stay  in  the 
boat.  Here,  muster  about  this  gangway,  half  a  dozen  of 
you,  and  keep  an  eye  on  the  crew  of  this  strange  boat." 

These  orders  had  no  effect  on  the  cool  and  deliberate  lieu 
tenant,  who  ascended  the  brig's  side,  and  immediately  stood 
on  her  deck.  No  sooner  had  he  and  Spike  confronted  each 
other,  than  each  gave  a  little  start,  like  that  of  recognition, 
and  the  lieutenant  spoke. 

"Ay,  ay  —  I  believe  I  know  this  vessel  now.  It  is  the 
Molly  Swash,  of  New  York,  bound  to  Key  West,  and  a 
market ;  and  I  have  the  honour  to  see  Captain  Stephen  Spike 
again." 

It  was  Mr.  Wallace,  the  second  lieutenant  of  the  sloop-of 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  159 

war  that  had  boarded  the  brig  in  the  Mona  Passage,  and  to 
avoid  whom  Spike  had  gone  to  the  southward  of  Jamaica. 
The  meeting  was  very  mal-a-propos,  but  it  would  not  do  to 
betray  that  the  captain  and  owner  of  the  vessel  thought  as 
much  as  this  ;  on  the  contrary,  Wallace  was  warmly  wel 
comed,  and  received,  not  only  as  an  old  acquaintance,  but 
as  a  very  agreeable  visiter.  To  have  seen  the  two,  as  they 
walked  aft  together,  one  might  have  supposed  that  the  meet 
ing  was  conducive  of  nothing  but  a  very  mutual  satisfaction, 
it  was  so  much  like  that  which  happens  between  those  who 
keep  up  a  hearty  acquaintance. 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  to  see  you  again,  Captain  Spike,"  cried 
Wallace,  after  the  greetings  were  passed,  "  if  it  be  only  to 
ask  where  you  flew  to,  the  day  we  left  you  in  the  Mona 
Passage?  We  looked  out  for  you  with  all  our  eyes,  ex 
pecting  you  would  be  down  between  San  Domingo  and 
Jamaica,  but  I  hardly  think  you  got  by  us  in  the  night. 
Our  master  thinks  you  must  have  dove,  and  gone  past  loon- 
fashion.  Do  you  ever  perform  that  manoeuvre?" 

"No,  we  've  kept  above  water  the  whole  time,  lieutenant," 
answered  Spike,  heartily ;  "  and  that  is  more  than  can  be 
said  of  the  poor  fellow  alongside  of  us.  I  was  so  much 
afraid  of  the  Isle  of  Pines,  that  I  went  round  Jamaica." 

"  You  might  have  given  the  Isle  of  Pines  a  berth,  and 
still  have  passed  to  the  northward  of  the  Englishmen,"  said 
Wallace,  a  little  drily.  "  However,  that  island  is  somewhat 
of  a  scarecrow,  and  we  have  been  to  take  a  look  at  it  our 
selves.  All's  right  there,  just  now.  But  you  seem  light; 
what  have  you  done  with  your  flour?" 

"  Parted  with  every  barrel  of  it.  You  may  remember 
I  was  bound  to  Key  West,  and  a  market.  Well,  I  found 
my  market  here,  in  American  waters." 

"  You  have  been  lucky,  sir.  This  '  emporium'  does  not 
seem  to  be  exactly  a  commercial  emporium." 

*'  The  fact  is,  the  flour  is  intended  for  the  Havanna;  and 
I  fancy  it  is  to  be  shipped  for  slavers.  But  I  am  to  know 
nothing  of  all  that,  you  '11  understand,  lieutenant.  If  I  sell 
my  flour  in  American  waters,  at  two  prices,  it's  no  concern 
of  mine  what  becomes  of  it  a'terwards." 

"  Unless  it  happen  to  pass  into  enemy's  hands,  certainly 
not ;  and  you  are  too  patriotic  to  deal  with  Mexico,  just  now, 


160  JACK   TIER; 

I  'm  sure.  Pray,  did  that  flour  go  down  when  the  schooner 
turned  turtle  ?" 

"  Every  barrel  of  it ;  but  Don  Wan,  below  there,  thinks 
that  most  of  it  may  yet  be  saved,  by  landing  it  on  one  of 
those  Keys  to  dry.  Flour,  well  packed,  wets  in  slowly. 
You  see  we  have  some  of  it  on  deck." 

"  And  who  may  Don  Wan  be,  sir,  pray  ?  We  are  sent 
here  to  look  after  Dons  and  Donas,  you  know." 

"  Don  Wan  is  a  Cuban  merchant,  and  deals  in  such  arti 
cles  as  he  wants.  I  fell  in  with  him  among  the  reefs  here, 
where  he  was  rummaging  about  in  hopes  of  meeting  with 
a  wrack,  he  tells  me,  and  thinking  to  purchase  something 
profitable  in  that  way ;  but  finding  I  had  flour,  he  agreed 
to  take  it  out  of  me  at  this  anchorage,  and  send  me  away 
in  ballast  at  once.  I  have  found  Don  Wan  Montefalderon 
ready  pay,  and  very  honourable." 

Wallace  then  requested  an  explanation  of  the  disaster,  to 
the  details  of  which  he  listened  with  a  sailor's  interest.  He 
asked  a  great  many  questions,  all  of  which  bore  on  the 
more  nautical  features  of  the  event ;  and,  day  having  now 
fairly  appeared,  he  examined  the  purchases  and  backings 
of  the  Swash  with  professional  nicety.  The  schooner  was 
no  lower  in  the  water  than  when  the  men  had  knocked  off 
work  the  previous  night;  and  Spike  set  the  people  at  the 
pumps  and  their  bailing  again,  as  the  most  effectual  method 
of  preventing  their  making  any  indiscreet  communications 
to  the  man-of-war's  men. 

About  this  time  the  relict  appeared  on  deck,  when  Spike 
gallantly  introduced  the  lieutenant  anew  to  his  passengers. 
It  is  true  he  knew  no  name  to  use,  but  that  was  of  little 
moment,  as  he  called  the  officer  "the  lieutenant,"  and 
nothing  else. 

Mrs.  Budd  was  delighted  with  this  occasion  to  show-off, 
and  she  soon  broke  out  on  the  easy,  indolent,  but  waggish 
Wallace,  in  a  strain  to  surprise  him,  notwithstanding  the 
specimen  of  the  lady's  skill  from  which  he  had  formerly 
escaped. 

"  Captain  Spike  is  of  opinion,  lieutenant,  that  our  cast- 
anchor  here  is  excellent,  and  I  know  the  value  of  a  good 
cast-anchor  place ;  for  my  poor  Mr.  Budd  was  a  sea-faring 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  161 

man,  and  taught  me  almost  as  much  of  your  noble  profes 
sion  as  he  knew  himself." 

"And  he  taught  you,  ma'am,"  said  Wallace,  fairly  open 
ing  his  eyes,  under  the  influence  of  astonishment,  "to  be 
very  particular  about  cast-anchor  places!" 

"  Indeed  he  did.  He  used  to  say,  that  roads-instead  were 
never  as  good,  for  such  purposes,  as  land  that's  locked 
havens,  for  the  anchors  would  return  home,  as  he  called  it, 
in  roads-instead." 

"  Yes,  rna'am,"  answered  Wallace,  looking  very  queer 
at  first,  as  if  disposed  to  laugh  outright,  then  catching  a 

fiance  of  Rose,  and  changing  his  mind  ;  "  I  perceive  that 
Ir.  Budd  knew  what  he  was  about,  and  preferred  an 
anchorage  where  he  was  well  land-locked,  and  where  there 
was  no  danger  of  his  anchors  coming  home,  as  so  often 
happens  in  your  open  roadsteads." 

"Yes,  that's  just  it!  That  was  just  his  notion!  You 
cannot  feel  how  delightful  it  is,  Rose,  to  converse  with  one 
that  thoroughly  understands  such  subjects !  My  poor  Mr. 
Budd  did,  indeed,  denounce  roads-instead,  at  all  times  calling 
them  '  savage.'  " 

"  Savage,  aunt,"  put  in  Rose,  hoping  to  stop  the  good 
relict  by  her  own  interposition — "  that  is  a  strange  word  to 
apply  to  an  anchorage  !" 

"  Not  at  all,  young  lady,"  said  Wallace  gravely.  "  They 
are  often  wild  berths,  and  wild  berths  are  not  essentially 
different  from  wild  beasts.  Each  is  savage,  as  a  matter  of 
course." 

"  I  knew  I  was  right !"  exclaimed  the  widow.  "  Savage 
cast-anchors  come  of  wild  births,  as  do  savage  Indians. 
Oh !  the  language  of  the  ocean,  as  my  poor  Mr.  Budd  used 
to  say,  is  eloquence  tempered  by  common  sense  !" 

Wallace  stared  again,  but  his  attention  was  called  to  other 
things,  just  at  that  moment.  The  appearance  of  Don  Juan 
Montefalderon  y  Castro  on  deck,  reminded  him  of  his  duty, 
and  approaching  that  gentleman  he  condoled  with  him  on 
the  grave  loss  he  had  sustained.  After  a  few  civil  expres 
sions  on  both  sides,  Wallace  made  a  delicate  allusion  to  the 
character  of  the  schooner. 

"Under  other  circumstances,"  he  said,  "  it  might  be  my 
duty  to  inquire  a  little  particularly  as  to  the  nationality  of 
14* 


162  JACK  TIER; 

your  vessel,  Senor,  for  we  are  at  war  with  the  Mexicans,  as 
you  doubtless  know." 

"  Certainly,"  answered  Don  Juan,  with  an  unmoved  air 
and  great  politeness  of  manner,  "  though  it  would  be  out  of 
my  power  to  satisfy  you.  Everything  was  lost  in  the 
schooner,  and  I  have  not  a  paper  of  any  sort  to  show  you. 
If  it  be  your  pleasure  to  make  a  prize  of  a  vessel  in  this 
situation,  certainly  it  is  in  your  power  to  do  it.  A  few  bar 
rels  of  wet  flour  are  scarce  worth  disputing  about." 

Wallace  now  seemed  a  little  ashamed,  the  sang  froid  of 
the  other  throwing  dust  in  his  eyes,  and  he  was  in  a  hurry 
to  change  the  subject.  Serior  Don  Juan  was  very  civilly 
condoled  with  again,  and  he  was  made  to  repeat  the  inci 
dents  of  the  loss,  as  if  his  auditor  took  a  deep  interest  in 
what  he  said,  but  no  further  hint  was  given  touching  the 
nationality  of  the  vessel.  The  lieutenant's  tact  let  him  see 
that  Senor  Montefalderon  was  a  person  of  a  very  different 
calibre  from  Spike,  as  well  as  of  different  habits;  and  he  did 
not  choose  to  indulge  in  the  quiet  irony  that  formed  so  large 
an  ingredient  in  his  own  character,  with  this  new  acquaint 
ance.  He  spoke  Spanish  himself,  with  tolerable  fluency, 
and  a  conversation  now  occurred  between  the  two,  which 
was  maintained  for  some  time  with  spirit  and  a  very  mani 
fest  courtesy. 

This  dialogue  between  Wallace  and  the  Spaniard  gave 
Spike  a  little  leisure  for  reflection.  As  the  day  advanced 
the  cruiser  came  more  and  more  plainly  in  view,  and  his 
first  business  was  to  take  a  good  survey  of  her.  She  might 
have  been  three  leagues  distant,  but  approaching  with  a  very 
light  breeze,  at  the  rate  of  something  less  than  two  knots  in 
the  hour.  Unless  there  was  some  one  on  board  her  who 
was  acquainted  with  the  channels  of  the  Dry  Tortugas, 
Spike  felt  little  apprehension  of  the  ship's  getting  very  near 
to  him ;  but  he  very  well  understood  that,  with  the  sort  of 
artillery  that  was  in  modern  use  among  vessels  of  war,  ho 
would  hardly  be  safe  could  the  cruiser  get  within  a  league. 
That  near  Uncle  Sam's  craft  might  certainly  come  without 
encountering  the  hazards  of  the  channels,  and  within  that 
distance  she  would  be  likely  to  get  in  the  course  of  the 
morning,  should  he  have  the  complaisance  to  wait  for  her. 
He  determined,  therefore,  not  to  be  guilty  of  that  act  of  folly. 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  163 

All  this  time  the  business  of  lightening  the  schooner  pro 
ceeded.  Although  Mulford  earnestly  wished  that  the  man- 
of-war  might  get  an  accurate  notion  of  the  true  character 
and  objects  of  the  brig,  he  could  not  prevail  on  himself  to 
become  an  informer.  In  order  to  avoid  the  temptation  so 
to  do,  he  exerted  himself  in  keeping  the  men  at  their  tasks, 
and  never  before  had  pumping  and  bailing  been  carried  on 
with  more  spirit.  The  schooner  soon  floated  of  herself,  and 
the  purchases  which  led  to  the  Swash  were  removed.  Near 
a  hundred  more  barrels  of  the  flour  had  been  taken  out  of 
the  hold  of  the  Spanish  craft,  and  had  been  struck  on  the 
deck  of  the  brig,  or  sent  to  the  Key  by  means  of  the  boats. 
This  made  a  material  change  in  the  buoyancy  of  the  vessel, 
and  enabled  the  bailing  to  go  on  with  greater  facility.  The 
pumps  were  never  idle,  but  two  small  streams  of  water  were 
running  the  whole  time  toward  the  scuppers,  and  through 
them  into  the  sea. 

At  length  the  men  were  ordered  to  knock  off,  and  to  get 
their  breakfasts.  This  appeared  to  arouse  Wallace,  who 
had  been  chatting,  quite  agreeably  to  himself,  with  Rose, 
and  seemed  reluctant  to  depart,  but  who  now  became  sensi 
ble  that  he  was  neglecting  his  duty.  He  called  away  his 
boat's  crew,  and  took  a  civil  leave  of  the  passengers;  after 
which  he  went  ever  the  side.  The  gig  was  some  little  dis 
tance  from  the  Swash,  when  Wallace  rose  and  asked  to  see 
Spike,  with  whom  he  had  a  word  to  say  at  parting. 

"  I  will  soon  return,"  he  said,  "  and  bring  you  forty  or 
fifty  fresh  men,  who  will  make  light  work  with  your  wreck. 
I  am  certain  our  commander  will  consent  to  my  doing  so, 
and  will  gladly  send  on  board  you  two  or  three  boat's 
crews." 

"  If  I  let  him,"  muttered  Spike  between  his  teeth,  "  I  shall 
be  a  poor,  miserable  cast-anchor  devil,  that 's  all." 

To  Wallace,  however,  he  expressed  his  hearty  acknow 
ledgments  ;  begged  him  not  to  be  in  a  hurry,  as  the  worst 
was  now  over,  and  the  row  was  still  a  long  one.  If  he  got 
back  toward  evening  it  would  be  all  in  good  time.  Wallace 
waved  his  hand,  and  the  gig  glided  away.  As  for  Spike, 
he  sat  down  on  the  plank-sheer  where  he  had  stood,  and 
remained  there  ruminating  intently  for  two  or  three  minutes. 
When  he  descended  to  the  deck  his  mind  was  fully  made 


164  JACK   TIER; 

up.  His  first  act  was  to  give  some  private  orders  to  the 
boatswain,  after  which  he  withdrew  to  the  cabin,  whither  he 
summoned  Tier,  without  delay. 

"  Jack,"  commenced  the  captain,  using  very  little  circum 
locution  in  opening  his  mind,  "  you  and  I  are  old  shipmates, 
and  ought  to  be  old  friends,  though  I  think  your  natur'  has 
undergone  some  changes  since  we  last  met.  Twenty  years 
ago  there  was  no  man  in  the  ship  on  whom  I  could  so  cer 
tainly  depend  as  on  Jack  Tier ;  now,  you  seem  given  up 
altogether  to  the  women.  Your  mind  has  changed  even 
more  than  your  body." 

"  Time  does  that  for  all  of  us,  Captain  Spike,"  returned 
Tier  coolly.  "  I  am  not  what  I  used  to  be,  I  '11  own,  nor 
are  you  yourself,  for  that  matter.  When  I  saw  you  last, 
noble  captain,  you  were  a  handsome  man  of  forty,  and 
could  go  aloft  with  any  youngster  in  the  brig ;  but,  now, 
you  're  heavy,  and  not  over-active." 

"  I ! — Not  a  bit  of  change  has  taken  place  in  me  for  the 
last  thirty  years.  I  defy  any  man  to  show  the  contrary. 
But  that 's  neither  here  nor  there ;  you  are  no  young  wo 
man,  Jack,  that  I  need  be  boasting  of  my  health  and  beauty 
before  you.  I  want  a  bit  of  real  sarvice  from  you,  and 
want  it  done  in  old-times  fashion ;  and  I  mean  to  pay  for 
it  in  old-times  fashion,  too." 

As  Spike  concluded,  he  put  into  Tier's  hand  one  of  the 
doubloons  that  he  had  received  from  Seiior  Montefalderon, 
in  payment  for  the  powder.  The  doubloons,  for  which  so 
much  pumping  and  bailing  were  then  in  process,  were  still 
beneath  the  waters  of  the  gulf. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  returned  Jack,  smiling  and  pocketing  the 
gold,  with  a  wink  of  the  eye,  and  a  knowing  look  ;  "  this 
does  resemble  old  times  sum'at.  I  now  begin  to  know 
Captain  Spike,  my  old  commander  again,  and  see  that  he's 
more  like  himself  than  I  had  just  thought  him.  What  am 
I  to  do  for  this,  sir?  speak  plain,  that  I  may  be  sartain  to 
steer  the  true  course." 

"  Oh,  just  a  trifle,  Jack — nothing  that  will  break  up  the 
ground-tier  of  your  wits,  my  old  shipmate.  You  see  ths 
state  of  the  brig,  and  know  that  she  is  in  no  condition  for 
ladies." 


OR,     THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  165 

"  'T  would  have  been  better  all  round,  sir,  had  they  never 
come  aboard  at  all,"  answered  Jack,  looking  dark. 

Spike  was  surprised,  but  he  was  too  much  bent  on  his 
projects  to  heed  trifles. 

"  You  know  what  sort  of  flour  they  're  whipping  out  of  the 
schooner,  and  must  understand  that  the  brig  will  soon  be  in 
a  pretty  litter.  I  do  not  intend  to  let  them  send  a  single 
barrel  of  it  beneath  my  hatches  again,  but  the  deck  and  the 
islands  must  take  it  all.  Now  I  wish  to  relieve  my  passen 
gers  from  the  confinement  this  will  occasion,  and  I  have 
ordered  the  boatswain  to  pitch  a  tent  for  them  on  the  largest 
of  these  here  Tortugas  ;  and  what  I  want  of  you,  is  to  mus 
ter  food  and  water,  and  other  women's  knicknacks,  and  go 
ashore  with  them,  and  make  them  as  comfortable  as  you 
can  for  a  few  days,  or  until  we  can  get  this  schooner  loaded 
and  off'." 

Jack  Tier  looked  at  his  commander  as  if  he  would  pene 
trate  his  most  secret  thoughts.  A  short  pause  succeeded,  dur 
ing  which  the  steward's  mate  was  intently  musing,  then  his 
countenance  suddenly  brightened ;  he  gave  the  doubloon  a 
fillip,  and  caught  it  on  the  palm  of  his  hand  as  it  descended, 
and  he  uttered  the  customary  "  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  with  apparent 
cheerfulness.  Nothing  more  passed  between  these  two  wor 
thies,  who  now  parted,  Jack  to  make  his  arrangements,  and 
Spike  to  "  tell  his  yarn,"  as  he  termed  the  operation  in  his 
own  mind,  to  Mrs.  Budd,  Rose,  and  Biddy.  The  widow 
listened  complacently,  though  she  seemed  half  doubting, 
half  ready  to  comply.  As  for  Rose,  she  received  the  pro 
posal  with  delight — The  confinement  of  the  vessel  having 
become  irksome  to  her.  The  principal  obstacle  was  in  over 
coming  the  difficulties  made  by  the  aunt,  Biddy  appearing  to 
like  the  notion  quite  as  much  as  "  Miss  Rosy."  As  for  the 
light-house,  Mrs.  Budd  had  declared  nothing1  would  induce 
her  to  go  there ;  for  she  did  not  doubt  that  the  place  would 
soon  be,  if  it  were  not  already,  haunted.  In  this  opinion 
she  was  sustained  by  Biddy ;  and  it  was  the  knowledge  of 
this  opinion  that  induced  Spike  to  propose  the  tent. 

"  Are  you  sure,  Captain  Spike,  it  is  not  a  desert  island  ?" 
asked  the  widow ;  "  I  remember  that  my  poor  Mr.  Budd  al 
ways  spoke  of  desert  islands  as  horrid  places,  and  spots  that 
every  one  should  avoid." 


166  JACK  TIER; 

"  What  if  it  is,  aunty,"  said  Rose  eagerly,  "  while  we 
have  the  brig  here,  close  at  hand.  We  shall  suffer  none  of 
the  wants  of  such  a  place,  so  long  as  our  friends  can  supply 
us." 

"  And  such  friends,  Miss  Rose,"  exclaimed  Spike,  a  little 
sentimentally  for  him,  "  friends  that  would  undergo  hunger 
and  thirst  themselves,  before  you  should  want  for  any 
comforts." 

"  Do,  now,  Madam  Budd,"  put  in  Biddy  in  her  hearty 
way,  "it's  an  island,  ye '11  remimber :  and  sure  that's  just 
what  ould  Ireland  has  ever  been,  God  bless  it !  Islands 
make  the  pleasantest  risidences." 

"  Well  I  '11  venture  to  oblige  you  and  Biddy,  Rosy,  dear," 
returned  the  aunt,  still  half  reluctant  to  yield  ;  "  but  you  '11 
remember,  that  if  I  find  it  at  all  a  desert  island,  I  'II  not  pass 
the  night  on  it  on  any  account  whatever." 

With  this  understanding  the  party  was  transferred  to  the 
shore.  The  boatswain  had  already  erected  a  sort  of  a  tent, 
on  a  favourable  spot,  using  some  of  the  old  sails  that  had 
covered  the  flour-barrels,  not  only  for  the  walls,  but  for  a 
carpet  of  some  extent  also.  This  tent  was  ingeniously 
enough  contrived.  In  addition  to  the  little  room  that  was 
entirely  enclosed,  there  was  a  sort  of  piazza,  or  open  veran 
dah,  which  would  enable  its  tenants  to  enjoy  the  shade  in 
the  open  air.  Beneath  this  verandah,  a  barrel  of  fresh  water 
was  placed,  as  well  as  three  or  four  ship's  stools,  all  of 
which  had  been  sent  ashore  with  the  materials  for  con 
structing  the  tent.  The  boat  had  been  going  and  coming 
for  some  time,  and  the  distance  being  short,  the  "  desert  isl 
and  "  vvas  soon  a  desert  no  longer.  It  is  true  that  the  sup 
plies  necessary  to  support  three  women  for  as  many  days, 
were  no  great  matter,  and  were  soon  landed,  but  Jack  Tier 
had  made  a  provision  somewhat  more  ample.  A  capital 
caterer,  he  had  forgotten  nothing  within  the  compass  of  his 
means,  that  could  contribute  to  the  comfort  of  those  who  had 
been  put  especially  under  his  care.  Long  before  the  people 
*' knocked  off"  for  their  dinners,  the  arrangements  were 
completed,  and  the  boatswain  was  ready  to  take  his  leave. 

"  Well,  ladies,"  said  that  grum  old  salt,  "  I  can  do  no 
more  for  you,  as  I  can  see.  This  here  island  is  now  almost 
as  comfortable  as  a  ship  that  has  been  in  blue  water  for  a 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  167 

month,  and  I  do  n't  know  how  it  can  be  made  more  com- 
fortabler." 

This  was  only  according  to  the  boatswain's  notion  of 
comfort ;  but  Rose  thanked  him  for  his  care  in  her  winning 
way,  while  her  aunt  admitted  that,  "  for  a  place  that  was 
almost  a  desert  island,  things  did  look  somewhat  promising." 
In  a  few  minutes  the  men  were  all  gone,  and  the  islet  was 
left  to  the  sole  possession  of  the  three  females,  and  their  con 
stant  companion,  Jack  Tier.  Rose  was  pleased  with  the 
novelty  of  her  situation,  though  the  islet  certainly  did  de 
serve  the  opprobrium  of  being  a  "  desert  island."  There 
was  no  shade  but  that  of  the  tent,  and  its  verandah-like 
covering,  though  the  last,  in  particular,  was  quite  extensive. 
There  was  no  water,  that  in  the  barrel  and  that  of  the 
ocean  excepted.  Of  herbage  there  was  very  little  on  this 
islet,  and  that  was  of  the  most  meagre  and  coarse  character, 
being  a  long  wiry  grass,  with  here  and  there  a  few  stunted 
bushes.  The  sand  was  reasonably  firm,  however,  more 
especially  round  the  shore,  and  the  walking  was  far  from 
unpleasant.  Little  did  Rose  know  it,  but  a  week  earlier,  the 
spot  would  have  been  next  to  intolerable  to  her,  on  account 
of  the  musquitoes,  gallinippers,  and  other  similar  insects  of 
the  family  of  tormentors  ;  but  everything  of  the  sort  had  tem 
porarily  disappeared  in  the  currents  of  the  tornado.  To  do 
Spike  justice,  he  was  aware  of  this  circumstance,  or  he 
might  have  hesitated  about  exposing  females  to  the  ordinary 
annoyances  of  one  of  these  spots.  Not  a  musquito,  or  any 
thing  of  the  sort  was  left,  however,  all  having  gone  to  lee- 
ward,  in  the  vortex  which  had  come  so  near  sweeping  off 
the  Mexican  schooner. 

"  This  place  will  do  very  well,  aunty,  for  a  day  or  two,'* 
cried  Rose  cheerfully,  as  she  returned  from  a  short  excur 
sion,  and  threw  aside  her  hat,  one  made  to  shade  her  face 
from  the  sun  of  a  warm  climate,  leaving  the  sea-breeze  that 
was  just  beginning  to  blow,  to  fan  her  blooming  and  sunny 
cheeks.  "  It  is  better  than  the  brig.  The  worst  piece  of 
land  is  better  than  the  brig." 

"  Do  not  say  that,  Rose — not  if  it 's  a  desert  island,  dear  ; 
and  this  is  desperately  like  a  desert  island  ;  I  am  almost 
Borry  I  ventured  on  it." 

"  It  will  not  be  deserted  by  us,  aunty,  until  we  shall  see 


168  JACK   TIER; 

occasion  to  do  so.  Why  not  endeavour  to  cjet  on  board  of 
yonder  ship,  and  return  to  New  York  in  her ;  or  at  least  in« 
duce  her  captain  to  put  us  ashore  somewhere  near  this,  and 
go  home  by  land.  Your  health  never  seemed  better  than  it 
is  at  this  moment;  and  as  for  mine,  I  do  assure  you,  aunty, 
dear,  I  am  as  perfectly  well  as  I  ever  was  in  my  life." 

"  All  from  this  voyage.  I  knew  it  would  set  you  up,  and 
am  delighted  to  hear  you  say  as  much.  Biddy  and  I  wero 
talking  of  you  this  very  morning,  my  child,  and  we  both 
agreed  that  you  were  getting  to  be  yourself  again.  Oh, 
ships,  and  brigs,  and  schooners,  full-jigger  or  hall-jigger,  for 
pulmonary  complaints,  say  I !  My  poor  Mr.  Budd  always 
maintained  that  the  ocean  was  the  cure  for  all  diseases,  and 
I  determined  that  to  sea  you  should  go,  the  moment  I  be- 
came  alarmed  for  your  health." 

The  good  widow  loved  Rose  most  tenderly,  and  she  was 
obliged  to  use  her  handkerchief  to  dry  the  tears  from  her 
eyes  as  she  concluded.  Those  tears  sprung  equally  from  a 
past  feeling  of  apprehension,  and  a  present  feeling  of  grati 
tude.  Rose  saw  this,  and  she  took  a  seat  at  her  aunt's  side, 
touched  herself,  as  she  never  failed  to  be  on  similar  occa 
sions  with  this  proof  of  her  relative's  affection.  At  that 
moment  even  Harry  Mulford  would  have  lost  a  good  deal 
in  her  kind  feelings  toward  him,  had  he  so  much  as  smiled 
at  one  of  the  widow's  nautical  absurdities.  At  such  times, 
Rose  seemed  to  be  her  aunt's  guardian  and  protectress,  instead 
of  reversing  the  relations,  and  she  entirely  forgot  herself  the 
many  reasons  which  existed  for  wishing  that  she  had  been 
placed  in  childhood,  under  the  care  of  one  better  qualified 
than  the  well-meaning  relict  of  her  uncle,  for  the  perform 
ance  of  her  duties. 

"  Thank  you,  aunty — thank'ee,  dear  aunty,"  said  Rose, 
kissing  the  widow  affectionately.  "  I  know  that  you  mean 
the  best  for  me,  though  you  are  a  little  mistaken  in  sup 
posing  me  ill.  I  do  assure  you,  dear,"  patting  her  aunt's 
cheek,  as  if  she  herself  had  been  merely  a  playful  child,  "  I 
never  was  better  ;  and  if  I  have  been  pulmonary,  I  am  en 
tirely  cured,  and  am  now  ready  to  return  home." 

"  God  be  praised  for  this,  Rosy.  Under  His  divine  pro 
vidence,  it  is  all  owing  to  the  sea.  If  you  really  feel  so  much 
restored,  however,  I  do  not  wish  to  keep  you  a  moment 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  169 

longer  on  a  ship's  board  than  is  necessary.  We  owe 
something  to  Captain  Spike's  care,  and  cannot,  quit  him  too 
unceremoniously  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  is  at  liberty  to  go  into 
a  harbour,  I  will  engage  him  to  do  so,  and  we  can  return 
home  by  land — unless,  indeed,  the  brig  intends  to  make  the 
home  voyage  herself." 

"  I  do  not  like  this  brig,  aunty,  and  now  we  are  out  of 
her,  I  wish  we  could  keep  out  of  her.  Nor  do  I  like  your 
Captain  Spike,  who  seems  to  me  anything  but  an  agree 
able  gentleman." 

"  That 's  because  you  arn't  accustomed  to  the  sea.  My 
poor  Mr.  Budd  had  his  ways,  like  all  the  rest  of  them ;  it 
takes  time  to  get  acquainted  with  them.  All  sailors  are  so." 
Rose  bent  her  face  involuntarily,  but  so  low  as  to  conceal 
the  increasing  brightness  of  her  native  bloom,  as  she  an 
swered, 

"  Harry  Mulford  is  not  so,  aunty,  dear — and  he  is  every 
inch  a  sailor." 

"  Well,  there  is  a  difference,  I  must  acknowledge,  though 
I  dare  say  Harry  will  grow  every  day  more  and  more  like 
all  the  rest  of  them.  In  the  end,  he  will  resemble  Captain 
Spike." 

"  Never,"  said  Rose,  firmly. 

"  You  can't  tell,  child.  I  never  saw  your  uncle  when  he 
was  Harry's  age,  for  I  was  n't  born  till  he  was  thirty,  but 
often  and  often  has  he  pointed  out  to  me  some  slender,  gen 
teel  youth,  and  say,  'just  such  a  lad  was  I  at  twenty,'  though 
nothing  could  be  less  alike,  at  the  moment  he  was  speaking, 
than  they  two.  We  all  change  with  our  years.  Now  I 
was  once  as  slender,  and  almost — not  quite,  Rosy,  for  few 
there  are  that  be — but  almost  as  handsome  as  you  yourself." 
"Yes,  aunty,  I  've  heard  that  before,"  said  Rose,  spring 
ing  up,  in  order  to  change  the  discourse  ;  "  but  Harry  Mul 
ford  will  never  become  like  Stephen  Spike.  I  wish  we  had 
never  known  the  man,  dearest  aunty." 

"  It  was  all  your  own  doings,  child.  He's  a  cousin  cf 
your  most  intimate  friend,  and  she  brought  him  to  the  house ; 
and  one  could  n't  offend  Mary  Mulford,  by  telling  her  we 
did  n't  like  her  cousin." 

Rose  seemed  vexed,  and  she  kept  her  little  foot  in  motion, 
patting  the  sail  that  formed  the  carpet,  as  girls  will  pat  the 
VOL.  I.— 15 

_____ j 


170  JACK  TIER; 

ground  with  their  feet  when  vexed.  This  gleam  of  displea 
sure  was  soon  over,  however,  and  her  countenance  became 
as  placid  as  the  clear,  blue  sky  that  formed  the  vault  of  the 
heavens  above  her  head.  As  if  to  atone  for  the  passing  re 
bellion  of  her  feelings,  she  threw  her  arms  around  her  aunt's 
neck ;  after  which  she  walked  away,  along  the  beach,  ru 
minating  on  her  present  situation,  and  of  the  best  means  of 
extricating  their  party  from  the  power  of  Spike. 

It  requires  great  familiarity  with  vessels  and  the  seas,  for 
one  to  think,  read,  and  pursue  the  customary  train  of  rea 
soning  on  board  a  ship  that  one  has  practised  ashore.  Rose 
had  felt  this  embarrassment  during  the  past  month,  for  the 
whole  of  which  time  she  had  scarcely  been  in  a  condition  to 
act  up  to  her  true  character,  suffering  her  energies,  and  in 
some  measure  her  faculties,  to  be  drawn  into  the  vortex  pro 
duced  by  the  bustle,  novelties,  and  scenes  of  the  vessel  and 
the  ocean.  But,  now  she  was  once  more  on  the  land,  dimin 
utive  and  naked  as  was  the  islet  that  composed  her  present 
world,  and  she  found  leisure  and  solitude  for  reflection  and 
decision.  She  was  not  ignorant  of  the  nature  of  a  vessel  of 
war,  or  of  the  impropriety  of  unprotected  females  placing 
themselves  on  board  of  one ;  but  gentlemen  of  character, 
like  the  officers  of  the  ship  in  sight,  could  hardly  be  wanting 
in  the  feelings  of  their  caste  ;  arid  anything  was  better  than 
to  return  voluntarily  within  the  power  of  Spike.  She  deter 
mined  within  her  own  mind  that  voluntarily  she  would  not. 
We  shall  leave  this  young  girl,  slowly  wandering  along  the 
beach  of  her  islet,  musing  on  matters  like  these,  while  w-e 
return  to  the  vessels  and  the  mariners. 

A  good  breeze  had  come  in  over  the  reef  from  the  Gulf, 
throwing  the  sloop-of-war  dead  to  leeward  of  the  brigan- 
tine's  anchorage.  This  was  the  reason  that  the  former  had 
closed  so  slowly.  Still  the  distance  between  the  vessels 
was  so  small,  that  a  swift  cruiser,  like  the  ship  of  war, 
would  soon  have  been  alongside  of  the  wreckers,  but  for  tho 
intervening  islets  and  the  intricacies  of  their  channels.  She 
had  made  sail  on  the  wind,  however,  and  was  evidently  dis 
posed  to  come  as  near  to  the  danger  as  her  lead  showed 
would  be  safe,  even  if  she  did  not  venture  among  them. 

Spike  noted  all  these  movements,  and  he  took  his  mea 
sures  accordingly.  The  pumping  and  bailing  had  been  go- 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  171 

ing  on  since  the  appearance  of  light,  and  the  flour  had  been 
quite  half  removed  from  the  schooner's  hold.  That  vessel 
consequently  floated  with  sufficient  buoyancy,  and  no  further 
anxiety  was  felt  on  account  of  her  sinking.  Still,  a  great 
deal  of  water  remained  in  her,  the  cabin  itself  being  nearly 
half  full.  Spike's  object  was  to  reduce  this  water  suffi 
ciently  to  enable  him  to  descend  into  the  state-room  which 
Senor  Montefalderon  had  occupied,  and  bring  away  the  doub 
loons  that  alone  kept  him  in  the  vicinity  of  so  ticklish  a 
neighbour  as  the  Poughkeepsie.  Escape  was  easy  enough  to 
one  who  knew  the  passages  of  the  reef  and  islets ;  more  espe 
cially  since  the  wind  had  so  fortunately  brought  the  cruis 
er  to  leeward.  Spike  most  apprehended  a  movement  upon 
him  in  the  boats,  and  he  had  almost  made  up  his  mind,  should 
such  an  enterprise  be  attempted,  to  try  his  hand  in  beating  it 
off  with  his  guns.  A  good  deal  of  uncertainty  on  the  sub 
ject  of  Mulford's  consenting  to  resist  the  recognised  author 
ities  of  the  country,  as  well  as  some  doubts  of  a  similai 
nature  in  reference  to  two  or  three  of  the  best  of  the  foremast 
hands,  alone  left  him  at  all  in  doubt  as  to  the  expediency  of 
such  a  course.  As  no  boats  were  lowered  from  the  cruiser, 
however,  the  necessity  of  resorting  to  so  desperate  a  measure, 
did  not  occur,  and  the  duty  of  lightening  the  schooner  had  pro 
ceeded  without  interruption.  As  soon  as  the  boatswain 
came  off  from  the  islet,  he  and  the  men  with  him  were  di 
rected  to  take  the  hands  and  lift  the  anchors,  of  which  it 
will  be  remembered  the  Swash  had  several  down.  Even 
Mulford  was  shortly  after  set  at  work  on  the  same  duty  ; 
and  these  expert  and  ready  seamen  soon  had  the  brig  clear 
of  the  ground.  As  the  schooner  was  anchored,  and  floated 
without  assistance,  the  Swash  rode  by  her. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  when  the  men  turned  to, 
after  having  had  their  dinners.  By  this  time,  the  sloop-of- 
war  was  within  half  a  league  of  the  bay,  her  progress 
having  been  materially  retarded  by  the  set  of  the  current, 
which  was  directly  against  her.  Spike  saw  that  a  collision 
of  some  sort  or  other  must  speedily  occur,  and  he  deter 
mined  to  take  the  boatswain  with  him,  and  descend  into  the 
cabin  of  the  schooner  in  quest  of  the  gold.  The  boatswain 
was  summoned,  and  Senor  Montefalderon  repeated  in  this 
man's  presence  the  instructions  that  he  thought  it  necessary 


172  JACK   TIER; 

for  the  adventurers  to  follow,  in  order  to  secure  the  prize. 
Knowing  how  little  locks  would  avail  on  board  a  vessel, 
were  the  men  disposed  to  rob  him,  that  gentleman  had 
trusted  more  to  secreting  his  treasure,  than  to  securing  it  in 
the  more  ordinary  way.  When  the  story  had  again  been 
told,  Spike  and  his  boatswain  went  on  board  the  schooner, 
and,  undressing,  they  prepared  to  descend  into  the  cabin. 
The  captain  paused  a  single  instant  to  take  a  look  at  the 
sloop-of-war,  and  to  examine  the  state  of  the  weather.  It 
is  probable  some  new  impression  was  made  on  him  by  this 
inquiry,  for,  hailing  Mulford,  he  ordered  him  to  loosen  the 
sails,  and  to  sheet  home,  and  hoist  the  foretopsail.  In  a 
word,  to  "  see  all  ready  to  cast  off,  and  make  sail  on  the 
brig  at  the  shortest  notice."  With  this  command  he  disap 
peared  by  the  schooner's  companion-way. 

Spike  and  his  companion  found  the  water  in  the  cabin 
very  much  deeper  than  they  had  supposed.  With  a  view 
to  comfort,  the  cabin-floor  had  been  sunk  much  lower  than 
is  usual  on  board  American  vessels,  and  this  brought  the 
water  up  nearly  to  the  arm-pits  of  two  men  as  short  as  our 
captain  and  his  sturdy  little  boatswain.  The  former  grum 
bled  a  good  deal,  when  he  ascertained  the  fact,  and  said 
something  about  the  mate's  being  better  fitted  to  make  a 
search  in  such  a  place,  but  concluding  with  the  remark, 
that  "  the  man  who  wants  ticklish  duty  well  done,  must  see 
to  it  himself." 

The  gold-hunters  groped  their  way  cautiously  about  the 
cabin  for  some  time,  feeling  for  a  drawer,  in  which  they 
had  been  told  they  should  find  the  key  of  Senor  Montefal- 
deron's  state-room  door.  In  this  Spike  himself  finally  suc 
ceeded,  he  being  much  better  acquainted  with  cabins  and 
their  fixtures,  than  the  boatswain. 

"  Here  it  is,  Ben,"  said  the  captain,  "  now  for  a  dive 
among  the  Don's  val'ables.  Should  you  pick  up  anything 
worth  speaking  of,  you  can  condemn  it  for  salvage,  as  I 
mean  to  cast  off,  and  quit  the  wrack  the  moment  we  've  made 
sure  of  the  doubloons." 

"  And  what  will  become  of  all  the  black  flour  that  is  ly 
ing  about,  sir?"  asked  the  boatswain  with  a  grin. 

"  It  may  take  care  of  itself.  My  agreement  will  be  up  as 
Boon  as  the  doubloons  are  found.  If  the  Don  will  come 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  173 

down  handsomely  with  his  share  of  what  will  be  left,  I  may 
be  bought  to  put  the  kegs  we  have  in  the  brig  ashore  for  him 
somewhere  in  Mexico ;  but  my  wish  is  to  get  out  of  the 
neighbourhood  of  that  bloody  sloop-of-war,  as  soon  as  pos 
sible." 

"  She  makes  but  slow  headway  ag'in  the  current,  sir ;  but 
a  body  would  think  she  might  send  in  her  boats." 

"  The  boats  might  be  glad  to  get  back  again,"  muttered 
Spike.  "Ay,  here  is  the  door  unlocked,  and  we  can  now 
fish  for  the  money." 

Some  object  had  rolled  against  the  state-room  door,  when 
the  vessel  was  capsized,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  diffi 
culty  in  forcing  it  open.  They  succeeded  at  last,  and 
Spike  led  the  way  by  wading  into  the  small  apartment. 
Here  they  began  to  feel  about  beneath  the  water,  and  by  a 
very  insufficient  light,  in  quest  of  the  hidden  treasure. 
Spike  and  his  boatswain  differed  as  to  the  place  which  had 
just  been  described  to  them,  as  men  will  differ  even  in  the 
account  of  events  that  pass  directly  before  their  eyes.  While 
thus  employed,  the  report  of  a  heavy  gun  came  through  the 
doors  of  the  cabin,  penetrating  to  the  recess  in  which  they 
were  thus  employed. 

"  Ay,  that's  the  beginning  of  it !"  exclaimed  Spike.  "  I 
wonder  that  the  fool  has  put  it  off  so  long." 

"  That  gun  was  a  heavy  fellow,  Captain  Spike,"  returned 
the  boatswain  ;  "  and  it  sounded  in  my  ears  as  if 't  was  shot 
ted." 

"  Ay,  ay,  I  dare  say  you  're  right  enough  in  both  opinions. 
They  put  such  guns  on  board  their  sloops-of-war,  now-a- 
days,  as  a  fellow  used  to  find  in  the  lower  batteries  of  a  two- 
decker  only  in  old  times ;  and  as  for  shot,  why  Uncle  Sam 
pays,  and  they  think  it  cheaper  to  fire  one  out  of  a  gun, 
than  to  take  the  trouble  of  drawing  it." 

"  I  believe  here's  one  of  the  bags,  Captain  Spike,"  said 
the  boatswain,  making  a  dip,  and  coming  up  with  one-half 
of  the  desired  treasure  in  his  fist.  "By  George,  I've 
grabbed  him,  sir;  and  the  other  bag  can't  be  far  off." 

"  Hand  that  over  to  me,"  said  the  captain,  a  little  authori 
tatively,  "  and  take  a  dive  for  the  next." 

As  the  boatswain  was  obeying  this  order,  a  second  gun 
was  heard,  and  Spike  thought  that  the  noise  made  by  tho 
15  * 


174  JACK    TIER; 

near  passage  of  a  large  shot  was  audible  also.  He  called 
out  to  Ben  to  "  bear  a  hand,  as  the  ship  seems  in  'arnest." 
But  the  head  of  the  boatswain  being  under  water  at  the  time, 
the  admonition  was  thrown  away.  The  fellow  soon  came 
up,  however,  puffing  like  a  porpoise  that  has  risen  to  the  sur 
face  to  blow. 

"  Hand  it  over  to  me  at  once,"  said  Spike,  stretching  oul 
his  unoccupied  hand  to  receive  the  prize ;  "  we  have  little 
time  to  lose." 

"  That 's  sooner  said  than  done,  sir,"  answered  the  boat 
swain  ;  "a  box  has  driven  down  upon  the  bag,  and  there's 
a  tight  jam.  I  got  hold  of  the  neck  of  the  bag,  and  pulled 
like  a  horse,  but  it  wouldn't  come  no  how." 

"  Show  me  the  place,  and  let  me  have  a  drag  at  it. 
There  goes  another  of  his  bloody  guns  !" 

Down  went  Spike,  and  the  length  of  time  he  was  under 
water,  proved  how  much  he  was  in  earnest.  Up  he  came  at 
length,  and  with  no  better  luck  than  his  companion.  He 
had  got  hold  of  the  bag,  satisfied  himself  by  feeling  its  out 
side  that  it  contained  the  doubloons,  and  hauled  with  all  his 
strength,  but  it  would  not  come.  The  boatswain  now  pro 
posed  to  take  a  jamming  hitch  with  a  rope  around  the  neck 
of  the  bag,  which  was  long  enough  to  admit  of  such  a  fast 
ening,  and  then  to  apply  their  united  force.  Spike  assented, 
and  the  boatswain  rummaged  about  for  a  piece  of  small  rope 
to  suit  his  purpose.  At  this  moment  Mulford  appeared  at 
the  companion-way  to  announce  the  movements  on  the  part 
of  the  sloop-of-war.  He  had  been  purposely  tardy,  in  order 
to  give  the  ship  as  much  time  as  possible;  but  he  saw  by  the 
looks  of  the  men  that  a  longer  delay  might  excite  suspicion. 

"Below  there!"  called  out  the  mate. 

"What's  wanting,  sir? — what's  wanting,  sir?"  answered 
Spike ;  "  let's  know  at  once." 

"  Have  you  heard  the  guns,  Captain  Spike?" 

"Ay,  ay,  every  grumbler  of  them.  They've  done  no 
mischief,  I  trust,  Mr.  Mulford?" 

"  None  as  yet,  sir ;  though  the  last  shot,  and  it  was  a  heavy 
fellow,  passed  just  above  the  schooner's  deck.  I  've  the 
topsail  sheeted  home  and  hoisted,  and  it 's  that  which  has  set 
them  at  work.  If  I  clewed  up  again,  I  dare  say  they'd  not 
fire  another  gun." 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  175 

<c  Clew  up  nothing,  sir,  but  see  all  clear  for  casting  off  and 
making  sail  through  the  South  Pass.  What  do  you  say, 
Ben,  are  you  ready  for  a  drag]" 

•'  All  ready,  sir,"  answered  the  boatswain,  once  moro 
coming  up  to  breathe.  "  Now  for  it,  sir;  a  steady  pull,  and 
a  pull  all  together." 

They  did  pull,  but  the  hitch  slipped,  and  both  went  down 
beneath  the  water.  In  a  moment  they  were  up  again,  puffing 
a  little  and  swearing  a  great  deal.  Just  then  another  gun, 
and  a  clatter  above  their  heads,  brought  them  to  a  stand. 

'*  What  means  that,  Mr.  Mulford  f  demanded  Spike,  a 
good  deal  startled. 

It  means  that  the  sloop-of-war  has  shot  away  the  head  of 
this  schooner's  foremast,  sir,  and  that  the  shot  has  chipp'd  a 
small  piece  out  of  the  heel  of  our  maintop-mast — that's  all." 
Though  excessively  provoked  at  the  mate's  cool  manner 
of  replying,  Spike  saw  that  he  might  lose  all  by  being  too 
tenacious  about  securing  the  remainder  of  the  doubloons. 
Pronouncing  in  very  energetic  terms  on  Uncle  Sam,  and  all 
his  cruisers,  an  anathema  that  we  do  not  care  to  repeat,  he 
gave  a  surly  order  to  Ben  to  "  knock-off,"  and  abandoned 
his  late  design.  In  a  minute  he  was  on  deck  and  dressed. 

"  Cast  off,  lads,"  cried  the  captain,  as  soon  as  on  the  deck 
of  his  own  brig  again,  "  and  four  of  you  man  that  boat.  We 
have  got  half  of  your  treasure,  Senor  Wan,  but  have  been 
driven  from  the  rest  of  it,  as  you  see.  There  is  the  bag ; 
when  at  leisure  we'll  divide  it,  and  give  the  people  their 
share.  Mr.  Mulford,  keep  the  brig  in  motion,  hauling  up 
toward  the  South  Pass,  while  I  go  ashore  for  the  ladies.  I  Ml 
meet  you  just  in  the  throat  of  the  passage." 

This  said,  Spike  tumbled  into  his  boat,  and  was  pulled 
ashore.  As  for  Mulford,  though  he  cast  many  an  anxious 
glance  toward  the  islet,  he  obeyed  his  orders,  keeping  the 
brig  standing  off  and  on,  under  easy  canvas,  but  working 
her  up  toward  the  indicated  passage. 

Spike  was»  met  by  Jack  Tier  on  the  beach  of  the  little 
island. 

"  Muster  the  women  at  once,"  ordered  the  captain,  "  we 
have  no  time  to  lose,  for  that  fellow  will  soon  be  firing  broad 
sides,  and  his  shot  now  range  half  a  mile  beyond  us." 


176  JACK   TIER; 

"  You  'II  no  more  move  the  widow  and  her  maid,  than 
you'll  move  the  island,"  answered  Jack,  laconically. 

"Why  should  I  not  move  them?  Do  they  wish  to  stay 
here  and  starve  ?" 

"  It's  little  that  they  think  of  that.  The  sloop-of-war  no 
sooner  begun  to  fire  than  down  went  Mrs.  Budd  on  the  can 
vas  floor  of  the  tent,  and  set  up  just  such  a  screaming  as 
you  may  remember  she  tried  her  hand  at  the  night  the  reve 
nue  craft  fired  into  us.  Biddy  lay  down  alongside  of  her 
mistress,  and  at  every  gun,  they  just  scream  as  loud  as  they 
can,  as  if  they  fancied  they  might  frighten  off  Uncle  Sam's 
men  from  their  duty." 

"  Duty  ! — You  little  scamp,  do  you  call  tormenting  honest 
traders  in  this  fashion  the  duty  of  any  man  ?" 

"  Well,  captain,  I  'm  no  ways  partic'lar  about  a  word  or 
two.  Their  'ways,'  if  you  like  that  better  than  duty,  sir." 

"Where's  Rose?  Is  she  down  too,  screaming  and  squall- 
ing?" 

"  No,  Captain  Spike,  no.  Miss  Rose  is  endeavouring,  like 
a  handsome  young  Christian  lady  as  she  is,  to  pacify  and 
mollify  her  aunt  and  Biddy;  and  right  down  sensible  talk 
does  she  give  them." 

"Then  she  at  least  can  go  aboard  the  brig,"  exclaimed 
Spike,  with  a  sudden  animation,  and  an  expression  of  coun 
tenance  that  Jack  did  not  at  all  like. 

"I  ray-y-tlicr  think  she'll  wish  to  hold  on  to  the  old 
lady,"  observed  the  sleward's-mate,  a  little  emphatically. 

"  You  be  d d,"  cried  Spike,  fiercely  ;  "  when  your  opi 
nion  is  wanted,  I  '11  ask  for  it.  If  I  find  you've  been  setting 
that  young  woman's  mind  ag'in  me,  I  '11  toss  you  overboard, 
as  I  would  the  offals  of  a  shark." 

"Young  women's  minds,  when  they  are  only  nineteen, 
get  set  ag'in  boys  of  fifty-six  without  much  assistance." 

"Fifty-six  yourself." 

"I'm  fifty-three— that  I'll  own  without  making  faces  at 
it,"  returned  Jack,  meekly  ;  "  and,  Stephen  Spike,  you  log. 
ged  fifty-six  your  last  birthday,  or  a  false  entry  was  made." 

This  conversation  did  not  take  place  in  the  presence  of 
the  boat's  crew,  but  as  the  two  walked  together  toward  the 
tent.  They  were  now  in  the  verandah,  as  we  have  called 
the  shaded  opening  in  front,  and  actually  within  sound  of 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF. 

the  sweet  voice  of  Rose,  as  she  exhorted  her  aunt,  in  tones 
a  little  louder  than  usual  for  her  to  use,  to  manifest  more 
fortitude.  Under  such  circumstances  Spike  did  not  deem  it 
expedient  to  utter  that  which  was  uppermost  in  his  mind,  but, 
turning  short  upon  Tier,  he  directed  a  tremendous  blow  di 
rectly  between  his  eyes.  Jack  saw  the  danger  and  dodged, 
falling  backward  to  avoid  a  concussion  which  he  knew  would 
otherwise  be  fearful,  coming  as  it  would  from  one  of  the  best 
forecastle  boxers  of  his  time.  The  full  force  of  the  blow  was 
avoided,  though  Jack  got  enough  of  it  to  knock  him  down, 
and  to  give  him  a  pair  of  black  eyes.  Spike  did  not  stop  to 
pick  the  assistant  steward  up,  for  another  gun  was  fired  at 
that  very  instant,  and  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy  renewed  their 
screams.  Instead  of  pausing  to  kick  the  prostrate  Tier,  as* 
had  just  before  been  his  intention,  the  captain  entered  the 
tent. 

A  scene  that  was  sufficiently  absurd  met  the  view  of  Spike, 
when  he  found  himself  in  the  presence  of  the  females.  The 
widow  had  thrown  herself  on  the  ground,  and  was  grasping 
the  cloth  of  the  sail  on  which  the  tent  had  been  erected  with 
both  her  hands,  and  was  screaming  at  the  top  of  her  voice. 
Biddy's  imitation  was  not  exactly  literal,  for  she  had  taken 
a  comfortable  seat  at  the  side  of  her  mistress,  but  in  the  way 
of  cries,  she  rather  outdid  her  principal. 

"  We  must  be  off,"  cried  Spike,  somewhat  unceremoni 
ously.  "The  man-of-war  is  blazing  away,  as  if  she  was  a 
firin'  minute-guns  over  our  destruction,  and  I  can  wait  no 
longer." 

"I  '11  not  stir,"  answered  the  widow — "I  can't  stir — I  shall 
be  shot  if  I  go  out.  No,  no,  no — I'll  not  stir  an  inch." 

"We'll  be  kilt!— -we'll  be  kilt!"  echoed  Biddy,  "and  a 
\vicket  murther  'twill  be  in  that  same  man,  war  or  no  war." 

The  captain  perceived  the  uselessness  of  remonstrance  at 
such  a  moment,  and  perhaps  he  was  secretly  rejoiced  thereat; 
but  it  is  certain  that  he  whipped  Rose  up  under  his  arm, 
and  walked  away  with  her,  as  if  she  had  been  a  child  of  two 
or  three  years  of  age.  Rose  did  not  scream,  but  she  strug 
gled  and  protested  vehemently.  It  was  in  vain.  Already 
the  captain  had  carried  her  half  the  distance  between  the 
tent  and  the  boat,  in  the  last  of  which,  a  minute  more  would 
have  deposited  his  victim,  when  a  severe  blow  on  the  back 


178  JACK   TIER; 

of  his  head  caused  Spike  to  stumble,  and  he  permitted  Rose 
to  escape  from  his  grasp,  in  the  effort  to  save  himself  from 
a  fall.  Turning  fiercely  toward  his  assailant,  whom  he  sus 
pected  to  be  one  of  his  boat's  crew,  he  saw  Tier  standing 
within  a  few  yards,  levelling  a  pistol  at  him. 

"  Advance  a  step,  and  you  're  a  dead  man,  villain  ! ' 
screamed  Jack,  his  voice  almost  cracked  with  rage,  and  ths 
effort  he  made  to  menace. 

Spike  muttered  an  oath  too  revolting  for  our  pages;  but 
it  was  such  a  curse  as  none  but  an  old  salt  could  give  vent 
to,  and  that  in  the  bitterness  of  his  fiercest  wrath.  At  that 
critical  moment,  while  Rose  was  swelling  with  indignation 
and  wounded  maiden  pride,  almost  within  reach  of  his  arms, 
looking  more  lovely  than  ever,  as  the  flush  of  anger  deep 
ened  the  colour  in  her  cheeks,  a  fresh  and  deep  report  from 
one  of  the  guns  of  the  sloop-of-war  drew  all  eyes  in  her  di 
rection.  The  belching  of  that  gun  seemed  to  be  of  double 
the  power  of  those  which  had  preceded  it,  and  jets  of  water, 
that  were  twenty  feet  in  height,  marked  the  course  of  the 
formidable  missile  that  was  projected  from  the  piece.  The 
ship  had,  indeed,  discharged  one  of  those  monster-cannons 
that  bear  the  name  of  a  distinguished  French  engineer,  but 
which  should  more  properly  be  called  by  the  name  of  the 
ingenious  officer  who  is  at  the  head  of  our  own  ordnance, 
as  they  came  originally  from  his  inventive  faculties,  though 
somewhat  improved  by  their  European  adopter.  Spike  sus 
pected  the  truth,  for  he  had  heard  of  these  "  Pazans,"  as  he 
called  them,  and  he  watched  the  booming,  leaping  progress 
of  the  eight-inch  shell  that  this  gun  threw,  with  the  appre 
hension  that  unknown  danger  is  apt  to  excite.  As  jet  suc 
ceeded  jet,  each  rising  nearer  and  nearer  to  his  brig,  the 
interval  of  time  between  them  seeming  fearfully  to  diminish, 
he  muttered  oath  upon  oath.  The  last  leap  that  the  shell 
made  on  the  water  was  at  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile's  distance 
of  the  islet  on  which  his  people  had  deposited  at  least  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty  barrels  of  his  spurious  flour:  thence  it  flew, 
as  it  mio;ht  be* without  an  effort,  with  a  grand  and  stately 
bound  into  the  very  centre  of  the  barrels,  exploding  at  the 
moment  it  struck.  All  saw  the  scattering  of  flour,  which 
was  instantly  succeeded  by  the  heavy  though  slightly  strag 
gling  explosion  of  all  the  powder  on  the  island.  A  hundred 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  179 

kegs  were  lighted,  as  it  might  be,  in  a  common  flash,  and  a 
tloud  of  white  smoke  poured  out  and  concealed  the  whole 
islet,  and  all  near  it. 

Rose  stood  confounded,  nor  was  Jack  Tier  in  a  much 
better  state  of  mind,  though  he  still  kept  the  pistol  levelled, 
and  menaced  Spike.  But  the  last  was  no  longer  dangerous 
to  any  there.  He  recollected  that  piles  of  the  barrels  en 
cumbered  the  decks  of  his  vessel,  and  he  rushed  to  the  boat, 
nearly  frantic  with  haste,  ordering  the  men  to  pull  for  their 
lives.  In  less  than  five  minutes  he  was  alongside,  and  on 
the  deck  of  the  Swash — his  first  order  being  to — "  Tumble 
every  barrel  of  this  bloody  powder  into  the  sea,  men.  Over 
with  it,  Mr.  Mulford,  clear  away  the  midship  ports,  and 
launch  as  much  as  you  can  through  them." 

Remonstrance  on  the  part  of  Sefior  Montefalderon  would 
have  been  useless,  had  he  been  disposed  to  make  it ;  but, 
sooth  to  say,  he  was  as  ready  to  get  rid  of  the  powder  as 
any  there,  after  the  specimen  he  had  just  witnessed  of  the 
power  of  a  Paixhan  gun. 

Thus  it  is  ever  with  men.  Had  two  or  three  of  those 
sheils  been -first  thrown  without  effect,  as  might  very  well 
have  happened  under  the  circumstances,  none  there  would 
have  cared  for  the  risk  they  were  running ;  but  the  chance 
explosion  which  had  occurred,  presented  so  vivid  a  picture 
of  the  danger,  dormant  and  remote  as  it  really  was,  as  to 
throw  the  entire  crew  of  the  Swash  into  a  frenzy  of  exertion. 
Nor  was  the  vessel  at  all  free  from  danger.  On  the  con 
trary,  she  ran  very  serious  risk  of  being  destroyed,  and  in 
some  degree,  in  the  very  manner  apprehended.  Perceiving 
that  Spike  was  luffing  up  through  one  of  the  passages  nearest 
the  reef,  which  would  carry  him  clear  of  the  group,  a  long 
distance  to  windward  of  the  point  where  he  could  only  effect 
the  same  object,  the  commander  of  the  sloop-of-war  opened 
his  fire  in  good  earnest,  hoping  to  shoot  away  something 
material  on  board  the  Swash,  before  she  could  get  beyond 
the  reach  of  his  shot.  The  courses  steered  by  the  two  vessels, 
just  at  that  moment,  favoured  such  an  attempt,  though  they 
made  it  necessarily  very  short-lived.  While  the  Swash  was 
near  the  wind,  the  sloop-of-war  was  obliged  to  run  off  to 
avoid  islets  ahead  of  her,  a  circumstance  which,  while  it 
brought  the  brig  square  with  the  ship's  broadside,  compelled 


180  JACK    TIER; 

the  latter  to  steer  on  a  diverging  line  to  the  course  of  her 
chase.  It  was  in  consequence  of  these  facts,  that  the  sloop- 
of-war  now  opened  in  earnest,  and  was  soon  canopied  in  the 
smoke  of  her  own  fire. 

Great  and  important  changes,  as  has  been  already  men 
tioned,  have  been  made  in  the  armaments  of  all  the  smaller 
cruisers  within  the  last  few  years.  Haifa  generation  since, 
a  ship  of  the  rate — we  do  not  say  of  the  size — of  the  vessel 
which  was  in  chase  of  Spike  and  his  craft,  would  not  have 
had  it  in  her  power  to  molest  an  enemy  at  the  distance  these 
two  vessels  were  now  apart.  But  recent  improvements  have 
made  ships  of  this  nominal  force  formidable  at  nearly  a 
league's  distance ;  more  especially  by  means  of  their  Paix- 
hans  and  their  shells. 

For  some  little  time  the  range  carried  the  shot  directly 
over  the  islet  of  the  tent;  Jack  Tier  and  Rose,  both  of  whom 
were  watching  all  that  passed  with  intense  interest,  standing 
in  the  open  air  the  whole  time,  seemingly  with  no  concern 
for  themselves,  so  absorbed  was  each,  notwithstanding  all 
that  had  passed,  in  the  safety  of  the  brig.  As  for  Rose,  she 
thought  only  of  Harry  Mulford,  and  of  the  danger  he  was 
in  by  those  fearful  explosions  of  the  shells.  Her  quick  in 
tellect  comprehended  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  risk  that  was 
incurred  by  having  the  flour-barrels  on  deck,  and  she  could 
not  but  see  the  manner  in  which  Spike  and  his  men  were 
tumbling  them  into  the  water,  as  the  quickest  manner  of 
getting  rid  of  them.  After  what  had  just  passed  between 
Jack  Tier  and  his  commander,  it  might  not  be  so  easy  to 
account  for  his  manifest,  nay,  intense  interest  in  the  escape 
of  the  Swash.  This  was  apparent  by  his  troubled  counte 
nance,  by  his  exclamations,  and  occasionally  by  his  openly 
expressed  wishes  for  her  safety.  Perhaps  it  was  no  more 
than  the  interest  the  seaman  is  so  apt  to  feel  in  the  craft  in 
which  he  has  so  long  sailed,  and  which  to  him  has  been  q 
home,  and  of  which  Mulford  exhibited  so  much,  in  his  strug 
gles  between  feeling  and  conscience — between  a  true  and  a 
false  duty. 

As  for  Spike  and  his  people,  we  have  already  mentioned 
their  efforts  to  get  rid  of  the  powder.  Shell  after  shell  ex 
ploded,  though  none  very  near  the  brig,  the  ship  working 
her  guns  as  if  in  action.  At  length  the  officers  of  the  sloop* 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  181 

of- war  detected  a  source  of  error  in  their  aim,  that  is  of  very 
common  occurrence  in  sea-gunnery.  Their  shot  had  been 
thrown  to  ricochet,  quartering  a  low,  but  very  regular  suc 
cession  of  little  waves.  Each  shot  striking  the  water  at  an 
acute  angle  to  its  agitated  surface,  was  deflected  from  a 
straight  line,  and  described  a  regular  curve  toward  the  end 
of  its  career;  or,  it  might  be  truer  to  say,  an  irregular 
curvature,  for  the  deflection  increased  as  the  momentum  of 
the  missile  diminished. 

No  sooner  did  the  commanding  officer  of  the  sloop-of-war 
discover  this  fact,  and  it  was  easy  to  trace  the  course  of  the 
shots  by  the  jets  of  water  they  cast  into  the  air,  and  to  see 
as  well  as  to  hear  the  explosions  of  the  shells,  than  he  or 
dered  the  guns  pointed  more  to  windward,  as  a  means  of 
counteracting  the  departure  from  the  straight  lines.     This 
expedient  succeeded  in  part,  the  solid  shot  falling  much  nearer 
to  the  brig  the  moment  the  practice  was  resorted  to.     No 
shell  was  fired  for  some  little  time  after  the  new  order  was 
issued,  and  Spike  and  his  people  began  to  hope  these  terrific 
missiles   had  ceased  their  annoyance.     The  men  cheered, 
finding  their  voices  for  the  first  time  since  the  danger  had 
seemed  so  imminent,  and  Spike  was  heard  animating  them 
to  their  duty.     As  for  Mulford,  he  was  on  the  coach-house 
deck,  working  the  brig,  the  captain  having  confided  to  him 
that  delicate  duty,  the  highest  proof  he  could  furnish  of  con 
fidence  in  his  seamanship.    The  handsome  young  mate  had 
just  made  a  half-board,  in  the  neatest  manner,  shoving  the 
brig  by  its  means  through  a  most  difficult  part  of  the  pas 
sage,  and  had  got  her  handsomely  filled  again  on  the  same 
tack,  looking  right  out  into  open  water,  by  a  channel  through 
which    she   could    now    stand    on    a    very    easy    bowline. 
Everything  seemed  propitious,  and  the  sloop-of- war's  solid 
shot  began  to  drop  into  the  water,  a  hundred  yards  short 
of  the  brig.     In  this  state  of  things  one  of  the  Paixhans 
belched  forth  its  angry  flame  and  sullen  roar  again.     There 
was  no  mistaking  the  gun.     Then  came  its  mass  of  iron,  a 
globe  that  would  have  weighed  just  sixty-eight  pounds,  had 
not  sufficient  metal  been  left  out  of  its  interior  to  leave  a 
cavity  to  contain  a  single  pound  of  powder.     Its  course,  as 
usual,  was  to  be  marked  by  its  path  along  the  sea,  as  it 
bounded,  half  a  mile  at  a  time,  from  wave  to  wave.     Spiko 
VOL.  I. —  16 


182  JACK   TIER; 

saw  by  its  undeviating  course  that  this  shell  was  booming 
tenifically  toward  his  brig,  and  a  cry  to  "  look  out  for  the 
shell,"  caused  the  work  to  be  suspended.  That  shell  struck 
the  water  for  the  last  time,  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the 
brig,  rose  dark  and  menacing  in  its  furious  leap,  but  ex 
ploded  at  the  next  instant.  The  fragments  of  the  iron  were 
scattered  on  each  side,  and  ahead.  Of  the  last,  three  or 
four  fell  into  the  water  so  near  the  vessel  as  to  cast  their 
spray  on  her  decks. 

"  Overboard  with  the  rest  of  the  powder  !"  shouted  Spike. 
"  Keep  the  brig  off  a  little,  Mr.  Mulford — keep  her  off,  sir; 
you  luff  too  much,  sir." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  answered  the  mate.    "  Keep  her  off,  it  is." 

"  There  comes  the  other  shell !"  cried  Ben,  but  the  men 
did  not  quit  their  toil  to  gaze  this  time.  Each  seaman 
worked  as  if  life  and  death  depended  on  his  single  exertions. 
Spike  alone  watched  the  course  of  the  missile.  On  it  came, 
booming  and  hurtling  through  the  air,  tossing  high  the  jets, 
at  each  leap  it  made  from  the  surface,  striking  the  water 
for  its  last  bound,  seemingly  in  a  line  with  the  shell  that  had 
just  preceded  it.  From  that  spot  it  made  its  final  leap. 
Every  hand  in  the  brig  was  stayed  and  every  eye  was  raised 
as  the  rushing  tempest  was  heard  advancing.  The  mass 
went  muttering  directly  between  the  masts  of  the  Swash. 
It  had  scarcely  seemed  to  go  by  when  the  fierce  flash  of  fire 
and  the  sharp  explosion  followed.  Happily  for  those  in  the 
brig,  the  projectile  force  given  by  the  gun  carried  the  frag 
ments  from  them,  as  in  the  other  instance  it  had  brought 
them  forward ;  else  would  few  have  escaped  mutilation,  or 
death,  among  their  crew. 

The  flashing  of  fire  so  near  the  barrels  of  powder  that 
still  remained  on  their  deck,  caused  the  frantic  efforts  to  be 
renewed,  and  barrel  after  barrel  was  tumbled  overboard, 
amid  the  shouts  that  were  now  raised  to  animate  the  people 
to  their  duty. 

"  Luff,  Mr.  Mulford — luff  you  may,  sir,"  cried  Spike. 

No  answer  was  given. 

"D'ye  hear  there,  Mr.  Mulford? — it  is  luff  you  may, 
sir." 

"  Mr.  Mulford  is  not  aft,  sir,"  called  out  the  man  at  the 
helm—-"  but  luff  it  is,  sir." 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  183 

"Mr.  Mulford  not  aft!  Where's  the  mate,  man?  Teil 
him  he  is  wanted." 

No  Mulford  was  to  be  found  !  A  call  passed  round 
the  decks,  was  sent  below,  and  echoed  through  the  entire 
brig,  but  no  sign  or  tidings  could  be  had  of  the  handsome 
mate.  At  that  exciting  moment  the  sloop-of-war  seemed  to 
cease  her  firing,  and  appeared  to  be  securing  her  guns. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Thou  art  the  same,  eternal  sea  ! 
The  earth  has  many  shapes  and  forms, 
Of  hill  and  valley,  flower  and  tree  ; 
Fields  that  the  fervid  noontide  warms, 
Or  winter's  rugged  grasp  deforms, 
Or  bright  with  autumn's  golden  store; 
Thou  coverest  up  thy  face  with  storms, 
Or  smilest  serene, — but  still  thy  roar 
And  dashing  foam  go  up  to  vex  the  sea-beat  shore. 

LUUT. 

WE  shall  now  advance  the  time  eight-and-forty  hours. 
The  baffling  winds  and  calms  that  succeeded  the  tornado 
had  gone,  and  the  trades  blew  in  their  stead.  Both  vessels 
had  disappeared,  the  brig  leading,  doubling  the  western 
extremity  of  the  reef,  and  going  off  before  both  wind  and 
current,  with  flowing  sheets,  fully  three  hours  before  the 
sloop-of-war  could  beat  up  against  the  latter,  to  a  point  that 
enabled  her  to  do  the  same  thing.  By  that  time,  the  Swash 
was  five-and-twenty  miles  to  the  eastward,  and  consequently 
but  just  discernible  in  her  loftiest  sails,  from  the  ship's  roya\ 
yards.  Still,  tlfe  latter  continued  the  chase;  and  that  even 
ing  both  vessels  were  beating  down  along  the  southern  mar 
gin  of  the  Florida  Reef,  against  the  trades,  but  favoured  by 
a  three  or  four  knot  current,  the  brig  out  of  sight  to  wind 
ward.  Our  narrative  leads  us  to  lose  sight  of  both  these 
vessels,  for  a  time,  in  order  to  return  to  the  islets  of  the 
Gulf.  Eight-and-forty  hours  had  made  some  changes  in 


184  JACK   TIER; 

and  around  the  haven  of  the  Dry  Tortugas.  The  tent  still 
Blood,  and  a  small  fire  that  was  boiling  its  pot  and  its  kettle, 
at  no  great  distance  from  it,  proved  that  the  tent  was  still 
inhabited.  The  schooner  also  rode  at  her  anchors,  very 
much  as  she  had  been  abandoned  by  Spike.  The  bag  of 
doubloons,  however,  had  been  found,  and  there  it  lay,  tied 
but  totally  unguarded,  in  the  canvas  verandah  of  Rose 
Budd's  habitation.  Jack  Tier  passed  and  repassed  it  with 
apparent  indifference,  as  he  went  to  and  fro,  between  his 
pantry  and  kitchen,  busy  as  a  bee  in  preparing  his  noontide 
meal  for  the  day.  This  man  seemed  to  have  the  islet  all  to 
himself,  however,  no  one  else  being  visible  on  any  part  of 
it.  He  sang  his  song,  in  a  cracked,  contre  alto  voice,  and 
appeared  to  be  happy  in  his  solitude.  Occasionally  he 
talked  to  himself  aloud,  most  probably  because  he  had  no 
one  else  to  speak  to.  We  shall  record  one  of  his  recitatives, 
which  carne  in  between  the  strains  of  a  very  inharmonious 
air,  the  words  of  which  treated  of  the  seas,  while  the 
steward's  assistant  was  stirring  an  exceedingly  savoury 
mess  that  he  had  concocted  of  the  ingredients  to  be  found 
in  the  united  larders  of  the  Swash  and  the  Mexican  schooner. 
"Stephen  Spike  is  a  capital  willian!"exclaimed  Jack, smell 
ing  at  a  ladle  filled  with  his  soup — "  a  capital  willian,  I  call 
him.  To  think,  at  his  time  of  life,  of  such  a  handsome 
and  pleasant  young  thing  as  this  Rose  Budd  ;  and  then  to 
try  to  ge,t  her  by  underhand  means,  and  by  making  a  fool 
of  her  silly  old  aunt.  It's  wonderful  what  fools  some  old 
aunts  be  !  Quite  wonderful !  If  I  was  as  great  a  simpleton 
as  this  Mrs.  Budd,  I  'd  never  cross  my  threshhold.  Yes, 
Stephen  Spike  is  a  prodigious  willian,  as  his  best  friend 
must  own !  Well,  I  gave  him  a  thump  on  the  head  that 
he'll  not  forget  this  v'y'ge.  To  think  of  carryin'  off  that 
pretty  Rose  Budd  in  his  very  arms,  in  so  indecent  a  manner ! 
Yet,  the  man  has  his  good  p'ints,  if  a  body  could  only  for 
get  his  bad  ones.  He's  a  first-rate  seaman.  How  he 
worked  the  brig  till  he  doubled  the  reef,  a'ter  she  got  into 
open  water;  and  how  he  made  her  walk  off  afore  the  wind, 
with  stun'sails  alow  and  aloft,  as  soon  as  ever  he  could 
make  'em  draw  !  My  life  for  it,  he'll  tire  the  legs  of  Uncle 
Sam's  man,  afore  he  can  fetch  up  with  him.  For  running 
away,  when  hard  chased,  Stephen  Spike  has  n't  his  equal 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  185 

on  'arlh.  But,  he's  a  great  willian — a  prodigious  willian  ! 
I  cannot  say  I  actually  wish  him  hanged;  but  I  would 
ralher  have  him  hanged  than  see  him  get  pretty  Rose  in  his 
power.  What  has  he  to  do  with  girls  of  nineteen?  If  the 
rascal  is  one  year  old,  he's  fifty-six.  I  hope  the  sloop-of- 
\var  will  find  her  match,  and  I  think  she  will.  The  Molly's 
a  great  traveller,  and  not  to  be  outdone  easily.  'T  would 
be  a  thousand  pities  so  lovely  a  craft  should  be  cut  off  in 
the  flower  of  her  days,  as  it  might  be,  and  I  do  hope  she'll 
lead  that  bloody  sloop  on  some  sunken  rock. 

"Well,  there's  the  other  bag  of  doubloons.  It  seems 
Stephen  could  not  get  it.  That's  odd,  too,  for  he's  great 
at  grabbin'  gold.  The  man  bears  his  age  well ;  but  he's  a 
wiliian  !  I  wonder  whether  he  or  Mulford  made  that  half- 
board  in  the  narrow  channel.  It  was  well  done,  and  Ste 
phen  is  a  perfect  sailor;  but  he  says  Mulford  is  the  same. 
Nice  young  man,  that  Mulford  ;  just  fit  for  Rose,  and  Rose 
for  him.  Pity  to  part  them.  Can  find  no  great  fault  with 
him,  except  that  he  has  too  much  conscience.  There's 
such  a  thing  as  having  too  much,  as  well  as  too  little  con 
science.  Mulford  has  too  much,  and  Spike  has  too  little. 
For  him  to  think  of  carryin'  off  a  gal  of  nineteen  !  I  say 
he's  fifty-six,  if  he's  a  day.  How  fond  he  used  to  be  of 
this  very  soup!  If  I've  seen  him  eat  a  quart  of  it,  I've 
seen  him  eat  a  puncheon  full  of  it,  in  my  time.  What  an 
appetite  the  man  has  when  he  's  had  a  hard  day's  duty  on  't ! 
There  ?s  a  threat  deal  to  admire,  and  a  great  deal  to  like  in 
Stephen  Spike,  but  he^s  a  reg'Iar  willian.  I  dare  say  he 
fancies  himself  a  smart,  jaunty  youth  ag'in,  as  I  can  re 
member  him ;  a  lad  of  twenty,  which  was  about  his  years 
when  I  first  saw  him,  by  the  sign  that  I  was  very  little 
turned  of  fifteen  myself.  Spike  was  comely  then,  though 
I  acknowledge  he's  a  willian.  I  can  see  him  now,  with  his 
deep  blue  roundabout,  his  bell-mouthed  trowsers,  both  of 
fine  cloth — too  fine  for  such  a  willian — but  fine  it  was,  and 
much  did  it  become  him." 

Here  Jack  made  a  long  pause,  during  which,  though  he 
may  have  thought  much,  he  said  nothing.  Nevertheless, 
he  wasn't  idle  the  while.  On  the  contrary,  he  passed  no 
less  than  three  several  times  from  the  fire  to  the  tent,  and 
returned.  Each  time,  in  going  and  coming,  he  looked  in- 
16* 


186  JACK  TIER; 

tently  at  the  bag  of  doubloons,  though  he  did  not  stop  at  it 
or  touch  it.  Some  associations  connected  with  Spike's  fruit 
less  attempts  to  obtain  it  must  have  formed  its  principal  in- 
terest  with  this  singular  being,  as  he  muttered  his  captain's 
name  each  time  in  passing,  though  he  said  no  more  audibly. 
The  concerns  of  the  dinner  carried  him  back  and  forth  ;  and 
in  his  last  visit  to  the  tent,  he  began  to  set  a  small  table — 
one  that  had  been  brought  for  the  convenience  of  Mrs.  Budd 
and  her  niece,  from  the  brig,  and  which  of  course  stiil  re 
mained  on  the  islet.  It  was  while  thus  occupied,  that  Jack 
Tier  recommenced  his  soliloquy. 

"  I  hope  that  money  may  do  some  worthy  fellow  good 
yet.  It 's  Mexican  gold,  and  that 's  inemy's  gold,  and  might 
be  condemned  by  law,  I  do  suppose.  Stephen  had  a  hank- 
erin'  a'ter  it,  but  he  did  not  get  it.  It  come  easy  enough  to 
the  next  man  that  tried.  That  Spike's  a  willian,  and  the 
gold  was  too  good  for  him.  He  has  no  conscience  at  all  to 
think  of  a  gal  of  nineteen  !  And  one  fit  for  his  betters,  in 
the  bargain.  The  time  has  been  when  Stephen  Spike  might 
have  pretended  to  Rose  Budd's  equal.  That  much  I  '11  ever 
maintain,  but  that  time's  gone;  and,  what  is  more,  it  will 
never  come  again.  I  should  like  Mulford  better  if  he  had  a 
little  less  conscience.  Conscience  may  do  for  Uncle  Sam's 
ships,  but  it  is  sometimes  in  the  way  aboard  a  trading  craft. 
What  can  a  fellow  do  with  a  conscience  when  dollars  is  to 
be  smuggled  off,  or  tobacco  smuggled  ashore  ?  I  do  sup 
pose  I  've  about  as  much  conscience  as  it  is  useful  to  have, 
and  I  've  got  ashore  in  my  day  twenty  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  stuff,  of  one  sort  or  another,  if  I've  got  ashore  the 
valie  of  ten  dollars.  But  Spike  carries  on  business  on  too 
lar^e  a  scale,  and  many  's  the  time  I  've  told  him  so.  I 
could  have  forgiven  him  anything  but  this  attempt  on  Rose 
Budd  ;  and  he 's  altogether  loo  old  for  that,  to  say  nothing 
of  other  people's  rights.  He's  an  up-and-down  will  fan,  and 
a  body  can  make  no  more,  nor  any  less  of  him.  That  soup 
must  be  near  done,  and  I'll  hoist  the  signal  for  grub." 

This  signal  was  a  blue-peter  of  which  one  had  been 
brought  ashore  to  signal  the  brig  ;  and  with  which  Jack  now 
signalled  the  schooner.  If  the  reader  will  turn  his  eyes  to 
ward  the  last  named  vessel,  he  vyill  find  the  guests  whom 
Tier  expected  to  surround  his  table.  Rose,  her  aunt,  and 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  187 

Biddy  were  all  seated,  under  an  awning  made  by  a  sail,  on 
the  deck  of  the  schooner,  which  now  floated  so  buoyantly 
as  to  show  that  she  had  materially  lightened  since  last  seen. 
Such  indeed  was  the  fact,  and  he  who  had  been  the  instru 
ment  of  producing  this  change,  appeared  on  deck  in  the  per 
son  of  Mulford,  as  soon  as  he  was  told  that  the  blue-peter  of 
Jack  Tier  was  flying. 

The  boat  of  the  light-house,  that  in  which  Spike    had 
landed  in  quest  of  Rose,  was  lying  alongside  of  the  schooner, 
and  sufficiently  explained  the  manner  in  which  the  mate  had 
left  the  brig.     This  boat,  in  fact,  had  been  fastened  astern, 
in  the  hurry  of  getting  from  under  the  sloop-of-war's  fire, 
and  Mulford  had  taken  the  opportunity  of  the  consternation 
and  frantic  efforts  produced  by  the  explosion  of  the  last  shell 
thrown,  to  descend  from  his  station  on  the  coach-house  into 
this  boat,  to  cut  the  painter,  and  to  let  the  Swash  glide  away 
from  him.     This  the  vessel  had  done  with  great  rapidity, 
leaving  him  unseen  under  the  cover  of  her  stern.     As  soon 
as  in  the  boat,  the  mate  had  seized  an  oar,  and  sculled  to  an 
islet  that  was  within  fifty  yards,  concealing  the  boat  behind 
a  low  hummock  that  formed  a  tiny  bay.     All  this  was  done 
so  rapidly,  that  united  to  the  confusion  on  board  the  Swash, 
no  one  discovered  the  male  or  the  boat.     Had  he  been  seen, 
however,  it  is  very  little  probable  that  Spike  would  have  lost 
a  moment  of  time,  in  the  attempt  to  recover  either.     But  he 
was  not  seen,  and  it  was  the  general  opinion  on  board  the 
Swash,  for  quite  an  hour,  that  her  handsome  mate  had  been 
knocked  overboard  and  killed,  by  a  fragment  of  the  shell 
that  had  seemed  to  explode  almost  in  the  ears  of  her  people. 
When  the  reef  was  doubled,  however,  and  Spike  made  his 
preparations  for  meeting  the  rough  water,  he  hove  to,  and 
ordered  his  own  yawl,  which  was  also  towing  astern,  to  be 
hauled  up  alongside,  in  order  to  be  hoisted  in.     Then,  in 
deed,  some  glimmerings  of  the  truth  were  shed  on  the  crew, 
who  missed  the  light-house  boat.     Though  many  contended 
that  its  painter  must  also  have  been  cut  by  a  fragment  of 
the  shell,  and  that  the  mate  had  died  loyal  to  roguery  and 
treason.     Mulford  was  much  liked  by  the  crew,  and  he  was 
highly  valued  by  Spike,  on  account,  of  his  seamanship  and 
integrity,  this  latter  being  a  quality  that  is  just  as  necessary 
for  one  of  the  captain's  character  to  meet  with  in  those  he 


188  JACK    TIER; 

trusts  as  to  any  other  man.  But  Spike  thought  differently 
of  the  cause  of  Mu  I  ford's  disappearance,  from  his  crew.  He 
ascribed  it  altogether  to  love  for  Rose,  when,  in  truth,  it 
ought  in  justice  to  have  been  quite  as  much  imputed  to  a 
determination  to  sail  no  longer  with  a  man  who  was  clearly 
guilty  of  treason.  Of  smuggling,  Mulford  had  long  suspect 
ed  Spike,  though  he  had  no  direct  proof  of  the  fact ;  but  now 
he  could  not  doubt  that  he  was  not  only  engaged  in  supply 
ing  the  enemy  with  the  munitions  of  war,  but  was  actually 
bargaining  to  sell  his  brig  for  a  hostile  cruiser,  and  pos 
sibly  to  transfer  himself  and  crew  along  with  her. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  speak  of  the  welcome  Mulford 
received  when  he  reached  the  islet  of  the  tent.  Fie  and 
Rose  had  a  long  private  conference,  the  result  of  which  was 
to  let  the  handsome  mate  into  the  secret  of  his  pretty  com 
panion's  true  feelings  toward  himself.  She  had  received 
him  with  tears,  and  a  betrayal  of  emotion  that  gave  him 
every  encouragement,  and  now  sh*e  did  not  deny  her  prefer 
ence.  In  that  interview  the  young  people  plighted  to  each 
other  their  troth.  Rose  never  doubted  of  obtaining  her 
aunt's  consent  in  due  time,  all  her  prejudices  being  in  favour 
of  the  sea  and  sailors;  and  should  she  not,  she  would  soon 
be  her  own  mistress,  and  at  liberty  to  dispose  of  herself  and 
her  pretty  little  fortune  as  she  might  choose.  But  a  cypher 
as  she  was,  in  all  questions  of  real  moment,  Mrs.  Budd  was 
not  a  person  likely  to  throw  any  real  obstacle  in  the  way 
of  the  young  people's  wishes ;  the  true  grounds  of  whose 
present  apprehensions  were  all  to  be  referred  to  Spike,  his 
intentions,  and  his  well-known  perseverance.  Mulford  was 
convinced  that  the  brig  would  be  back  in  quest  of  the  re 
maining  doubloons,  as  soon  as  she  could  get  clear  of  the 
sloop-of-war,  though  he  was  not  altogether  without  a  hope 
that  the  latter,  when  she  found  it  impossible  to  overhaul  her 
chase,  might  also  return  in  order  to  ascertain  what  disco 
veries  could  be  made  in  and  about  the  schooner.  The  ex 
plosion  of  the  powder,  on  -<he  islet,  must  have  put  the  man- 
of-war's  men  in  possession  of  the  secret  of  the  real  quality 
of  the  flour  that  had  composed  her  car^o,  and  it  doubtless 
had  awakened  all  their  distrust  on  the  subject  of  the  Swash's 
real  business  in  the  Gulf.  Under  all  the  circumstances, 
therefore,  it  did  appear  quite  as  probable  that  one  of  the 


Oil,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  189 

parties  should  reappear  at  the  scene  of  their  recent  interview 
as  the  other. 

Bearing  all  these  things  in  mind,  Mulford  had  lost  no 
time  in  completing  his  own  arrangements.  He  felt  that  he 
had  some  atonement  to  make  to  the  country,  for  the  part 
he  had  seemingly  taken  in  the  late  events,  and  it  occurred 
to  him,  could  he  put  the  schooner  in  a  state  to  be  moved, 
then  place  her  in  the  hands  of  the  authorities,  his  own  peace 
would  be  made,  and  his  character  cleared.  Rose  no  sooner 
understood  his  plans  and  motives,  than  she  entered  into 
them  with  all  the  ardour  and  self-devotion  of  her  sex;  for 
the  single  hour  of  confidential  and  frank  communication 
which  had  just  passed,  doubled  the  interest  she  felt  in  Mul 
ford  and  in  all  that  belonged  to  him.  Jack  Tier  was  useful 
on  board  a  vessel,  though  his  want  of  stature  and  force  ren 
dered  him  less  so  than  was  common  with  sea-faring  men. 
His  proper  sphere  certainly  had  been  the  cabins,  where  his 
usefulness  was  beyond  all  cavil ;  but  he  was  now  very  ser 
viceable  to  Mulford  on  the  deck  of  the  schooner.  The  first 
two  days,  Mrs.  Budd  had  been  left  on  the  islet,  to  look  to 
the  concerns  of  the  kitchen,  while  Mulford,  accompanied  by 
Rose,  Biddy  and  Jack  Tier,  had  gone  off  to  the  schooner, 
and  set  her  pumps  in  motion  again.  It  was  little  that  Rose 
could  do,  or  indeed  attempt  to  do,  at  this  toil,  but  the  pumps 
being  small  and  easily  worked,  Biddy  and  Jack  were  of 
great  service.  By  the  end  of  the  second  day  the  pumps 
sucked ;  the  cargo  that  remained  in  the  schooner,  as  well 
as  the  form  of  her  bottom,  contributing  greatly  to  lessen-  the 
quantity  of  the  water  that  was  to  be  got  out  of  her. 

Then  it  was  that  the  doubloons  fell  into  Mulford's  hands, 
along  with  everything  else  that  remained  below  decks.  It 
was  perhaps  fortunate  that  the  vessel  was  thoroughly  puri 
fied  by  her  immersion,  and  the  articles  that  were  brought 
on  deck  to  be  dried  were  found  in  a  condition  to  give  no 
great  offence  to  those  who  removed  them.  By  leaving  the 
hatches  off,  and  the  cabin  doors  open,  the  warm  winds  of 
the  trades  effectually  dried  the  interior  of  the  schooner  in 
the  course  of  a  single  night;  and  when  Mulford  repaired  on 
board  of  her,  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  he  found  her 
in  a  condition  to  be  fitted  for  his  purposes.  On  this  occa 
sion  Mrs.  Budd  had  expressed  a  wish  to  go  off  to  look  at 


190  JACK   TIER; 

her  future  accommodations,  and  Jack  was  left  on  the  islet 
to  cook  the  dinner,  which  will  explain  the  actual  state  of 
things  as  described  in  the  opening  of  this  chapter. 

As  those  who  toil  usually  have  a  relish  for  their  food,  the 
appearance  of  the  blue-peter  was  far  from  being  unwelcome 
to  those  on  board  of  the  schooner.  They  got  into  the  boat, 
and  were  sculled  ashore  by  Mulford,  who,  seaman-like,  used 
only  one  hand  in  performing  this  service.  In  a  very  few 
minutes  they  were  all  seated  at  the  little  table,  which  was 
brought  out  into  the  tent-verandah  for  the  enjoyment  of  the 
breeze. 

"  So  far,  well,"  said  Mulford,  after  his  appetite  was 
mainly  appeased ;  Rose  picking  crumbs,  and  affecting  to 
eat,  merely  to  have  the  air  of  keeping  him  company  ;  one 
of  the  minor  proofs  of  the  little  attentions  that  spring  from 
the  affections.  "  So  far,  well.  The  sails  are  bent,  arid 
though  they  might  be  newer  and  better,  they  can  be  made 
to  answer.  It  was  fortunate  to  find  anything  like  a  second 
suit  on  board  a  Mexican  craft  of  that  size  at  all.  As  it  is, 
we  have  foresail,  mainsail,  and  jib,  and  with  that  canvas  I 
think  we  might  beat  the  schooner  down  to  Key  West  in  the 
course  of  a  day  and  a  night.  If  I  dared  to  venture  outside 
of  the  reef,  it  might  be  done  sooner  even,  for  they  tell  me 
there  is  a  four-knot  current  sometimes  in  that  track ;  but  I 
do  not  like  to  venture  outside,  so  short-handed.  The  cur 
rent  inside  must  serve  our  turn,  and  we  shall  get  smooth 
water  by  keeping  under  the  lee  of  the  rocks.  I  only  hope 
we  shall  not  get  into  an'eddy  as  we  go  further  from  the  end 
of  the  reef,  and  into  the  bight  of  the  coast." 

"  Is  there  danger  of  that?"  demanded  Rose,  whose  quick 
intellect  had  taught  her  many  of  these  things,  since  her 
acquaintance  with  vessels, 

"  There  may  be,  looking  at  the  formation  of  the  reef  and 
islands,  though  I  know  nothing  of  the  fact  by  actual  obser 
vation.  This  is  my  first  visit  in  this  quarter." 

"  Eddies  are  serious  matters,"  put  in  Mrs.  Budd,  "  and 
my  poor  husband  could  not  abide  them.  Tides  are  good 
things  ;  but  eddies  are  very  disagreeable." 

"Well,  aunty,  I  should  think  eddies  might  sometimes  be 
as  welcome  as  tides.  It  must  depend,  however,  very  much 
on  the  way  one  wishes  to  go." 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  191 

"  Rose,  you  surprise  me !  All  that  you  have  read,  and 
all  that  you  have  heard,  must  have  shown  you  the  differ 
ence.  Do  they  not  say  'a  man  is  floating  with  the  tide,' 
when  things  are  prosperous  with  him — and  don't  ships  drop 
down  with  the  tide,  and  heat  the  wind  with  the  tide?  And 
don't  vessels  sometimes  *  tide  it  up  to  town,'  as  it  is  called, 
and  is  n't  it  thought  an  advantage  to  have  the  tide  with  you  V1 

"  All  very  true,  aunty  ;  but  I  do  not  see  how  that  makes 
eddies  any  the  worse." 

"  Because  eddies  are  the  opposite  of  tides,  child.  When 
the  tide  goes  one  way,  the  eddy  goes  another — is  n't  it  so, 
Harry  Mulford?  You  never  heard  of  one's  floating  in  an 
eddy." 

"That's  what  we  mean  by  an  eddy,  Mrs.  Budd,"  an 
swered  the  handsome  male,  delighted  to  hear  Rose's  aunt 
call  him  by  an  appellation  so  kind  and  familiar, — a  thing 
she  had  never  done  previously  to  the  intercourse  which  had 
been  the  consequence  of  their  present  situation.  "  Though 
I  agree  with  Rose  in  thinking  an  eddy  may  be  a  good  or  a 
bad  thing,  and  very  much  like  a  tide,  as  one  wishes  to 
steer." 

"  You  amaze  me,  both  of  you  !  Tides  are  always  spoken 
of  favourably,  but  eddies  never.  If  a  ship  gets  ashore,  the 
tide  can  float  her  off;  that.  I  've  heard  a  thousand  times. 

Then,  what  do  the  newspapers  say  of  President ,  and 

Governor  ,  and  Congressman  ?*  Why,  that 

they  all  '  float  in  the  tide  of  public  opinion,'  and  that  must 
mean  something  particularly  good,  as  they  are  always  in 
office.  No,  no,  Harry  ;  I  'II  acknowledge  that  you  do  know 
something  about  ships;  a  good  deal, considering  how  young 
you  are;  but  you  have  something  to  learn  about  eddies. 
Never  trust  one  as  long  as  you  live." 

Mulford  was  silent,  and  Rose  took  the  occasion  to  change 
the  discourse. 

"  I  hope  we  shall  soon  be  able  to  quit  this  place,"  she 
said  ;  "  for  I  confess  to  some  dreao*  of  Captain  Spike's  re 
turn." 

"  Captain  Stephen  Spike  has  greatly  disappointed  me," 


*  We  suppress  the  names  used  by  Mrs.  Budd,  out  of  delicacy  to 
the  individuals  mentioned,  who  are  still  living. 


192  JACK  TIER; 

observed  the  aunt,  gravely.  "I  do  not  know  that  I  was 
ever  before  deceived  in  judging  a  person.  I  could  have 
sworn  he  was  an  honest,  frank,  well-meaning  sailor  —  a 
character,  of  all  others,  that  I  love;  but  it  has  turned  out 
otherwise." 

««  He's  a  willian  !"  mutttcred  Jack  Tier. 

Mul ford  smiled  ;  at  which  speech  we  must  leave  to  con. 
jecture;  but  he  answered  Rose,  as  he  ever  did,  promptly 
and  with  pleasure. 

"The  schooner  is  ready,  and  this  must  be  our  last  meal 
ashore,"  he  said.  "Our  outfit  will  be  no  great  matter;  but 
if  it  will  carry  us  down  to  Key  West,  I  shall  ask  no  more 
of  it.  As  for  the  return  of  the  Swash,  I  look  upon  it  as 
certain.  She  could  easily  get  clear  of  the  sloop-of-war, 
with  the  start  she  had,  and  Spike  is  a  man  that  never  yet 
abandoned  a  doubloon,  when  he  knew  where  one  was  to  be 
found." 

"  Stephen  Spike  is  like  all  his  fellow-creatures,"  put  in 
Jack  Tier,  pointedly.  "  He  has  his  faults,  and  he  has  his 
virtues." 

"  Virtue  is  a  term  I  should  never  think  of  applying  to 
such  a  man,"  returned  Mulford,  a  little  surprised  at  the  fel 
low's  earnestness.  "  The  word  is  a  big  one,  and  belongs 
to  quite  another  class  of  persoijs."  Jack  muttered  a  few 
syllables  that  were  unintelligible,  when  again  the  conversa 
tion  changed. 

Rose  now  inquired  of  Mulford  as  to  their  prospects  of 
getting  to  Key  West.  He  told  her  that  the  distance  was 
about  sixty  miles;  their  route  lying  along  the  north  or  inner 
side  of  the  Florida  Reef.  The  whole  distance  was  to  be 
made  against  the  trade-wind,  which  was  then  blowing  about 
on  eight-knot  breeze,  though,  bating  eddies,  they  might  ex 
pect  to  be  favoured  with  the  current,  which  was  less  strong 
inside  than  outside  of  the  reef.  As  for  handling  the  schooner, 
Mulford  saw  no  great  difficulty  in  that.  She  was  not  large, 
and  was  both  lightly  sparred  and  lightly  rigged.  All  her 
top-hamper  had  been  taken  down  by  Spike,  and  nothing 
remained  but  the  plainest  and  most  readily-managed  gear. 
A  fore-and-aft  vessel,  sailing  close  by  the  wind,  is  not  diffi 
cult  to  steer;  will  almost  steer  herself,  indeed,  in  smooth 
water.  Jack  Tier  could  take  his  trick  at  the  helm,  in  any 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  193 

weather,  even  in  running  before  the  wind,  the  time  when  it 
is  most  difficult  to  guide  a  craft,  and  Rose  might  be  made  to 
understand  the  use  of  the  tiller,  and  taught  to  govern  the 
motions  of  a  vessel  so  small  and  so  simply  rigged,  when  on 
a  wind  and  in  smooth  water.  On  the  score  of  managing 
the  schooner,  therefore,  Mulford  thought  there  would  be 
little  cause  for  apprehension.  Should  the  weather  continue 
settled,  he  had  little  doubt  of  safely  landing  the  whole  party 
at  Key  West,  in  the  course  of  the  next  four-and-twenty 
hours.  Short  sail  he  should  be  obliged  to  carry,  as  well  on 
account  of  the  greater  facility  of  managing  it,  as  on  account 
of  the  circumstance  that  the  schooner  was  now  in  light  bal 
last  trim,  and  would  not  bear  much  canvas.  He  thought 
that  the  sooner  they  left  the  islets  the  better,  as  it  could  not 
be  long  ere  the  brig  would  be  seen  hovering  around  the 
spot.  All  these  matters  were  discussed  as  the  party  still  sat 
at  table ;  and  when  they  left  it,  which  was  a  few  minutes 
later,  it  was  to  remove  the  effects  they  intended  to  carry 
away  to  the  boat.  This  was  soon  done,  both  Jack  Tier  and 
Biddy  proving  very  serviceable,  while  Rose  tripped  back 
ward  and  forward,  with  a  step  elastic  as  a  gazelle's,  carry 
ing  light  burdens.  In  half  an  hour  the  boat  was  ready. 
"  Here  lies  the  bag  of  doubloons  still,"  said  Mulford,  smiling. 
"  Is  it  to  be  left,  or  shall  we  give  it  up  to  the  admiralty  court 
at  Key  West,  and  put  in  a  claim  for  salvage?" 

"  Better  leave  it  for  Spike,"  said  Jack  unexpectedly. 
"  Should  he  come  back,  and  find  the  doubloons,  he  may  be 
satisfied,  and  not  look  for  the  schooner.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  the  vessel  is  missing,  he  will  think  that  the  money  is 
iu  her.  Better  leave  it  for  old  Stephen." 

"  I  do  not  agree  with  you,  Tier,"  said  Rose,  though  she 
looked  as  amicably  at  the  steward's  assistant,  as  she  thus 
opposed  his  opinion,  as  if  anxious  to  persuade  rather  than 
coerce.  "  I  do  not  quite  agree  with  you.  This  money  be 
longs  to  the  Spanish  merchant;  and,  as  we  take  away  with 
us  his  vessel,  to  give  it  up  to  the  authorities  at  Key  West,  I 
do  not  think  we  have  a  right  to  put  his  gold  on  the  shore 
and  abandon  it." 

This  disposed  of  the  question.  Mulford  took  the  bag,  and 
carried  it  to  the  boat,  without  waiting  to  ascertain  if  Jack 
had  any  objection ;  while  the  whole  party  followed.  In  a 

VOL.  I.  — 17 


194  JACK   TIER; 

few  minutes  everybody  and  everything  in  the  boat  were 
transferred  to  the  deck  of  the  schooner.  As  for  the  tent, 
the  old  sails  of  which  it  was  made,  the  furniture  it  contained, 
and  such  articles  of  provisions  as  were  not  wanted,  they 
were  left  on  the  islet,  without  regret.  The  schooner  had 
several  casks  of  fresh  water,  which  were  found  in  her  hold, 
and  she  had  also  a  cask  or  two  of  salted  meats,  besides 
several  articles  of  food  more  delicate,  that  had  been  provided 
by  Seiior  Montefalderon  for  his  own  use,  and  which  had  not 
been  damaged  by  the  water.  A  keg  of  Boston  crackers 
were  among  these  eatables,  quite  half  of  which  were  still  in 
a  state  to  be  eaten.  They  were  Biddy's  delight ;  and  it  wag 
seldom  that  she  could  be  seen  when  not  nibbling  at  one  of 
them.  The  bread  of  the  crew  was  hopelessly  damaged. 
But  Jack  had  made  an  ample  provision  of  bread  when  sent 
ashore,  and  there  was  still  a  hundred  barrels  of  the  flour  in 
the  schooner's  hold.  One  of  these  had  been  hoisted  on  deck 
by  Mulford,  and  opened.  The  injured  flour  was  easily  re 
moved,  leaving  a  considerable  quantity  fit  for  the  uses  of  the 
kitchen.  As  for  the  keg  of  gunpowder,  it  was  incontinently 
committed  to  the  deep. 

Thus  provided  for,  Mulford  decided  that  the  time  had  ar 
rived  when  he  ought  to  quit  his  anchorage.  He  had  been 
employed  most  of  that  morning  in  getting  the  schooner's 
anchor,  a  work  of  great  toil  to  him,  though  everybody  had 
assisted.  He  had  succeeded,  and  the  vessel  now  rode  by  a 
kedge,  that  he  could  easily  weigh  by  means  of  a  deck  tackle. 
It  remained  now,  therefore,  to  lift  this  kedge  and  to  stand 
out  of  the  bay  of  the  islets.  No  sooner  was  the  boat  secured 
astern,  and  its  freight  disposed  of,  than  the  mate  began  to 
make  sail  In  order  to  hoist  the  mainsail  well  up,  he  was 
obliged  to  carry  the  halyards  to  the  windlass.  Thus  aided, 
he  succeeded  without  much  difficulty.  He  and  Jack  Tier 
and  Biddy  got  the  jib  hoisted  by  hand ;  and  as  for  the  fore 
sail,  that  would  almost  set  itself.  Of  course,  it  was  not 
touched  until  the  kedge  was  aweigh.  Mulford  found  little 
difficulty  in  lifting  the  last,  and  he  soon  had  the  satisfaction 
of  finding  his  craft  clear  of  the  ground.  As  Jack  Tier  was 
every  way  competent  to  take  charge  of  the  forecastle,  Mul 
ford  now  sprang  aft,  and  took  his  own  station  at  the  helm ; 
Rose  acting  as  his  pretty  assistant  on  the  quarter-deck. 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  195 

There  is  little  mystery  in  getting  a  fore-and-aft  vessel 
under  way.  Her  sails  fill  almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  and 
motion  follows  as  a  necessary  law.  Thus  did  it  prove  with 
the  Mexican  schooner,  which  turned  out  to  be  a  fast-sailing 
and  an  easily- worked  craft.  She  was,  indeed,  an  American 
bottom,  as  it  is  termed,  having  been  originally  built  for  the 
Chesapeake;  and,  though  not  absolutely  what  is  understood 
by  a  Baltimore  clipper,  so  nearly  of  that  mould  and  nature 
as  to  possess  some  of  the  more  essential  qualities.  As  usu 
ally  happens,  however,  when  a  foreigner  gets  hold  of  an 
American  schooner,  the  Mexicans  had  shortened  her  masts 
and  lessened  her  canvas.  This  circumstance  was  rather  an 
advantage  to  Mulford,  who  would  probably  have  had  more 
to  attend  to  than  he  wished  under  the  original  rig  of  the 
craft. 

Everybody,  even  to  the  fastidious  Mrs.  Budd,  was  de 
lighted  with  the  easy  and  swift  movement  of  the  schooner. 
Mulford,  now  he  had  got  her  under  canvas,  handled  her 
without  any  difficulty,  letting  her  stand  toward  the  channel 
through  which  he  intended  to  pass,  with  her  sheets  just  taken 
in,  though  compelled  to  keep  a  little  off,  in  order  to  enter 
between  the  islets.  No  difficulty  occurred,  however,  and  in 
tess  than  ten  minutes  the  vessel  was  clear  of  the  channels, 
and  in  open  water.  The  sheets  were  now  flattened  in,  and 
the  schooner  brought  close  by  the  wind.  A  trial  of  the  ves 
sel  on  this  mode  of  sailing  was  no  sooner  made,  than  Mul 
ford  was  induced  to  regret  he  had  taken  so  many  precautions 
against  any  increasing  power  of  the  wind.  To  meet  emer 
gencies,  and  under  the  notion  he  should  have  his  craft  more 
under  command,  the  young  man  had  roefed  his  mainsail, 
and  taken  the  bonnets  off  of  the  foresail  and  jib.  As  the 
schooner  stood  up  better  than  he  had  anticipated,  the  mate 
felt  as  all  seamen  are  so  apt  to  feel,  when  they  see  that  their 
vessels  might  be  made  to  perform  more  than  is  actually  got 
out  of  them.  As  the  breeze  was  fresh,  however,  he  deter 
mined  not  to  let  out  the  reef;  and  the  labour  of  lacing  on 
the  bonnets  again  was  too  great  to  be  thought  of  just  at  that 
moment. 

We  all  find  relief  on  getting  in  motion,  when  pressed  by 
circumstances.  Mulford  had  been  in  great  apprehension 
of  the  re-appearance  of  the  Swash  all  that  day  ;  for  it  was 


196  JACK  TIER; 

about  the  time  when  Spike  would  be  apt  to  return,  in  the 
event  of  his  escaping  from  the  sloop«of-war,  and  he  dreaded 
Rose's  again  falling  into  the  hands  of  a  man  so  desperate. 
Nor  is  it  imputing  more  than  a  very  natural  care  to  the 
young  man,  to  say  that  he  had  some  misgivings  concerning 
himself.  Spike,  by  this  time,  must  be  convinced  that  his 
business  in  .the  Gulf  was  known  ;  and  one  who  had  openly 
thrown  off  his  service,  as  his  mate  had  done,  would  unques 
tionably  be  regarded  as  a  traitor  to  his  interests,  whatever 
might  be  the  relation  in  which  he  would  stand  to  the  laws 
of  the  country.  It  was  probable  such  an  alleged  offender 
would  not  be  allowed  to  appear  before  the  tribunals  of  the 
land,  to  justify  himself  and  to  accuse  the  truly  guilty,  if  it 
were  in  the  power  of  the  last  to  prevent  it.  Great,  there 
fore,  was  the  satisfaction  of  our  handsome  young  mate  when 
he  found  himself  again  fairly  in  motion,  with  a  craft  under 
him,  that  glided  ahead  in  a  way  to  prove  that  she  might 
give  even  the  Swash  some  trouble  to  catch  her,  in  the  event 
of  a  trial  of  speed. 

Everybody  entered  into  the  feelings  of  Mulford,  as  the 
schooner  passed  gallantly  out  from  between  the  islets,  and 
entered  the  open  water.  Fathom  by  fathom  did  her  wake 
rapidly  increase,  until  it  could  no  longer  be  traced  back  as 
far  as  the  sandy  beaches  that  had  just  been  left.  In  a  quar 
ter  of  an  hour  more,  the  vessel  had  drawn  so  far  from  the 
land,  that  some  of  the  smaller  and  lowest  of  the  islets  wero 
getting  to  be  indistinct.  At  that  instant  everybody  had 
come  aft,  the  females  taking  their  seats  on  the  trunk,  which, 
in  this  vessel  as  in  the  Swash  herself,  gave  space  and  height 
to  the  cabin. 

"Well,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Budd,  who  found  the  freshness 
of  the  sea  air  invigorating,  as  well  as  their  speed  exciting, 
"  this  is  what  I  call  maritime,  Rosy,  dear.  This  is  what  is 
meant  by  the  Maritime  States,  about  which  we  read  so 
much,  and  which  are  commonly  thought  to  be  so  important. 
We  are  now  in  a  Maritime  State,  and  I  feel  perfectly  happy 
after  all  our  dangers  and  adventures  !" 

"  Yes,  aunty,  and  I  am  delighted  that  you  are  happy," 
answered  Rose,  with  frank  affection.  "  We  are  now  rid  of 
that  infamous  Spike,  and  may  hope  never  to  see  his  face 
more." 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  197 

"  Stephen  Spike  has  his  good  p'ints  as  well  as  another," 
said  Jack  Tier,  abruptly. 

"I  know  that  he  is  an  old  shipmate  of  yours,  Tier,  and 
that  you  cannot  forget  how  he  once  stood  connected  with 
you,  and  am  sorry  I  have  said  so  much  against  him,"  an 
swered  Rose,  expressing  her  concern  even  more  by  her 
looks  and  tones,  than  by  her  words. 

Jack  was  mollified  by  this,  and  he  let  his  feeling  be  seen, 
though  he  said  no  more  than  to  mutter,  "  He's  a  willian  !" 
words  that  had  frequently  issued  from  his  lips  within  the 
last  day  or  two. 

"  Stephen  Spike  is  a  capital  seaman,  and  that  is  some 
thing  in  any  man,"  observed  the  relict  of  Captain  Budd. 
"  He  learned  his  trade  from  one  who  was  every  way  quali 
fied  to  teach  him.,  and  it's  no  wonder  he  should  be  expert. 
Do  you  expect,  Mr.  Mulford,  to  beat  the  wind  the  whole 
distance  to  Key  West  ?" 

It  was  not  possible  for  any  one  to  look  more  grave  than 
the  mate  did  habitually,  while  the  widow  was  floundering 
through  her  sea-terms.  Rose  had  taught  him  that  respect 
for  her  aunt  was  to  be  one  of  the  conditions  of  her  own 
regard,  though  Rose  had  never  opened  her  lips  to  him  on 
the  subject. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  answered  the  mate,  respectfully,  "  we  are 
in  the  trades,  and  shall  have  to  turn  to  windward,  every 
inch  of  the  way  to  Key  West." 

"Of  what  lock  is  this  place  the  key,  Rosy?"  asked  the 
aunt,  innocently  enough.  "  I  know  that  forts  and  towns 
are  sometimes  called  keys,  but  they  always  have  locks  of 
some  sort  or  other.  Now,  Gibraltar  is  the  key  of  the  Medi 
terranean,  as  your  uncle  has  told  me  fifty  times;  and  I 
have  been  there,  and  can  understand  why  it  should  be, — 
but  I  do  not  know  of  what  lock  this  West  is  the  key." 

"  It  is  not  that  sort  of  key  which  is  meant,  aunty,  at  all — 
but  quite  a  different  thing.  The  key  meant  is  an  island." 

"  And  why  should  any  one  be  so  silly  as  to  call  an  island 
a  key  ?" 

"  The  place  where  vessels  unload  is  sometimes  called  a 

key,"  answered  Mulford;  —  "the  French  calling  it  a  quai, 

and  the  Dutch  kaye.    I  suppose  our  English  word  is  derived 

from  these.     Now,  a  low,  sandy  island,  looking  somewhat 

17  * 


198  JACK   TIER; 

like  keys,  or  wharves,  seamen  have  given  them  this  name. 
Key  West  is  merely  a  low  island." 

"  Then  there  is  no  lock  to  it,  or  anything  to  be  unfas 
tened,"  said  the  widow,  in  her  most  simple  manner. 

"It  may  turn  out  to  be  the  key  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
one  of  these  days,  ma'am.  Uncle  Sam  is  surveying  the 
reef,  and  intends  to  do  something  here,  I  believe.  When 
Uncle  Sam  is  really  in  earnest,  he  is  capable  of  performing 
great  things." 

Mrs.  Budd  was  satisfied  with  this  explanation,  though  she 
told  Biddy  that  evening,  that  "  locks  and  keys  go  together, 
and  that  the  person  who  christened  the  island  to  which  they 
were  going,  must  have  been  very  weak  in  his  upper  story." 
But  these  reflections  on  the  intgllects  of  her  fellow-creatures 
were  by  no  means  uncommon  with  the  worthy  relict ;  and 
we  cannot  say  that  her  remarks  made  any  particular  im 
pression  on  her  Irish  maid. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Mexican  schooner  behaved  quite 
to  Mulford's  satisfaction.  He  thought  her  a  little  tender  in 
the  squalls,  of  which  they  had  several  that  afternoon  ;  but 
he  remarked  to  Rose,  who  expressed  her  uneasiness  at  the 
manner  in  which  the  vessel  lay  over  in  one  of  them,  that 
"  she  comes  down  quite  easy  to  her  bearings,  but  it  is  hard 
forcing  her  beyond  them.  The  vessel  needs  more  cargo  to 
ballast  her,  though,  on  the  whole,  I  find  her  as  stiff  as  ono 
could  expect.  I  am  now  glad  that  I  reefed,  and  reduced 
the  head  sails,  though  I  was  sorry  at  having  done  so  when 
we  first  came  out.  At  this  rate  of  sailing,  we  ought  to  be 
up  with  Key  West  by  morning." 

But  that  rate  of  sailing  did  not  continue.  Toward  even 
ing-,  the  breeze  lessened  almost  to  a  calm  again,  the  late 
tornado  appearing  to  have  quite  deranged  the  ordinary  sta 
bility  of  the  trades.  When  the  sun  set,  and  it  went  down 
into  the  broad  waters  of  the  Gulf  a  flood  of  flame,  there  was 
barely  a  two-knot  breeze,  and  Mulford  had  no  longer  any 
anxiety  on  the  subject  of  keeping  his  vessel  on  her  legs. 
His  solicitude,  now,  was  confined  to  the  probability  of  falling 
in  with  the  Swash.  As  yet,  nothing  was  visible,  either  in 
the  shape  of  land  or  in  that  of  a  sail.  Between  the  islets 
of  the  Dry  Torlugas  and  the  next  nearest  visible  keys,  there 
is  a  space  of  open  water,  of  some  forty  miles  in  width.  The 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  fD9 

reef  extends  across  if,  of  course  ;  but  nowhere  does  the 
rock  protrude  itself  above  the  surface  of  the  sea.  The 
depth  of  water  on  this  reef  varies  essentially.  In  some 
places,  a  ship  of  size  might  pass  on  to  it,  if  not  across  it; 
while  in  others  a  man  could  wade  for  miles.  There  is  one 
deep  and  safe  channel  —  safe  to  those  who  are  acquainted 
with  it — through  the  centre  of  this  open  space,  and  which  is 
sometimes  used  by  vessels  that  wish  to  pass  from  one  side 
to  the  other ;  but  it  is  ever  better  for  those  whose  business 
does  not  call  them  in  that  direction,  to  give  the  rocks  a  good 
berth,  more  especially  in  the  night. 

Mul ford  had  gleaned  many  of  the  leading  facts  connected 
with  the  channels,  and  the  navigation  of  those  waters,  from 
Spike  and  the  older  seamen  of  the  brig,  during  the  time 
they  had  been  lying  at  the  Tortugas.  Such  questions  and 
answers  are  common  enough  on  board  ships,  and,  as  they 
are  usually  put  and  given  with  intelligence,  one  of  our 
mate's  general  knowledge  of  his  profession,  was  likely  to 
carry  away  much  useful  information.  By  conversations 
of  this  nature,  and  by  consulting  the  charts,  which  Spike 
did  not  affect  to  conceal  after  the  name  of  his  port  became 
known,  the  young  man,  in  fact,  had  so  far  made  himself 
master  of  the  subject,  as  to  have  tolerably  accurate  notions 
of  the  courses,  distances,  and  general  peculiarities  of  the 
reef.  When  the  sun  went  down,  he  supposed  himself  to  be 
about  half-way  across  the  space  of  open  water,  and  some 
five-and-twenty  miles  dead  to  windward  of  his  port  of  de 
parture.  This  was  doing  very  well  for  the  circumstances, 
and  Mulford  believed  himself  and  his  companions  clear  of 
Spike,  when,  as  night  drew  its  veil  over  the  tranquil  sea, 
nothing  was  in  sight. 

A  very  judicious  arrangement  was  made  for  the  watches 
on  board  the  Mexican  schooner,  on  this  important  night. 
Mrs.  Budd  had  a  great  fancy  to  keep  a  watch,  for  once  in 
her  life,  and,  after  the  party  had  supped,  and  the  subject 
came  up  in  the  natural  course  of  things,  a  dialogue  like  this 
occurred: 

"  Harry  must  be  fatigued,"  said  Rose,  kindly,  "  and  must 
want  sleep.  The  wind  is  so  light,  and  the  weather  appears 
to  be  so  settled,  that  I  think  it  would  be  better  for  him  to 
'turn  in,'  as  he  calls  it;"  —  here  Rose  laughed  so  prettily 


200  JACK   TIER; 

that  the  handsome  mate  wished  she  would  repeat  the  words, 
— "  better  that  he  should  *  turn  in'  now,  and  we  can  call 
him,  should  there  he  need  of  his  advice  or  assistance.  I 
dare  say  Jack  Tier  and  I  can  take  very  good  care  of  the 
schooner  until  daylight." 

Mrs.  Budd  thought  it  would  be  no  more  than  proper  for 
one  of  her  experience  and  years  to  rebuke  this  levity,  as 
well  as  to  enlighten  the  ignorance  her  niece  had  betrayed. 

"  You  should  be  cautious,  my  child,  how  you  propose 
anything  to  be  done  on  a  ship's  board,"  observed  the  aunt. 
"It  requires  great  experience  and  a  suitable  knowledge  of 
rigging  to  give  maritime  advice.  Now,  as  might  have  been 
expected,  considering  your  years,  and  the  short  time  you 
have  been  at  sea,  you  have  made  several  serious  mistakes 
in  what  you  have  proposed.  In  the  first  place,  there  should 
always  be  a  mute  on  the  deck,  as  I  have  heard  your  dear 
departed  uncle  say,  again  and  again;  and  how  can  there  be 
a  mate  on  the  deck  if  Mr.  Mulford  'turns  in,'  as  you  pro 
pose,  seeing  that  he  *s  the  only  mate  we  have.  Then  you 
should  never  laugh  at  any  maritime  expression,  for  each 
and  all  are,  as  a  body  might  say,  solemnized  by  storms  and 
dangers.  That  Harry  is  fatigued  1  think  is  very  probable; 
and  he  must  set  our  watches,  as  they  call  it,  when  he  can 
make  his  arrangements  for  the  night,  and  take  his  rest  as  is 
usual.  Here  is  my  watch  to  begin  vviih;  and  I'll  engage 
he  does  not  find  it  two  minutes  out  of  the  way,  though  yours, 
Rosy  dear,  like  most  girl's  time-pieces,  is,  I  '11  venture  to 
say,  dreadfully  wrong.  Where  is  your  chronometer,  Mr. 
Mulford  ?  let  us  see  how  this  excellent  watch  of  mine,  which 
was  once  my  poor  departed  Mr.  Budd's,  will  agree  with  that 
piece  of  your's,  which  I  have  heard  you  say  is  excellent." 

Here  was  a  flight  in  science  and  nautical  language  that 
poor  Mulford  could  not  have  anticipated,  even  in  the  cap 
tain's  relict!  That  Mrs.  Budd  should  mistake  "setting  the 
watch"  for  "  setting  our  watches,"  was  not  so  very  violent 
a  blunder  that  one  ought  to  be  much  astonished  at  it  in  her; 
but  that  she  should  expect  to  find  a  chronometer  that  was 
intended  to  keep  the  time  of  Greenwich,  agreeing  with  a 
watch  that  was  set  for  the  time  of  New  York,  betrayed  a 
degree  of  ignorance  that  the  handsome  male  was  afraid 
Rose  would  resent  on  him,  when  the  mistake  was  made  to 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  201 

appear.  As  the  widow  held  out  her  own  watch  for  the 
comparison,  however,  he  could  not  refuse  to  produce  his 
own.  By  Mrs.  Budd's  watch  it  was  past  seven  o'clock,  while 
by  his  own,  or  the  Greenwich-set  chronometer,  it  was  a  little 
past  twelve. 

"  How  very  wrong  your  watch  is,  Mr.  Mulford,"  cried 
the  good  lady,  "  notwithstanding  all  you  have  said  in  its 
favour.  It's  quite  five  hours  too  fast,  I  do  declare;  and 
now,  Rosy  dear,  you  see  the  importance  of  setting  watches 
on  a  ship's  board,  as  is  done  every  evening,  my  departed 
husband  has  often  told  me." 

"  Harry's  must  be  what  he  calls  a  dog- watch,  aunty,"  said 
Rose,  laughing,  though  she  scarce  knew  at  what. 

'*  The  watch  goes,  too,"  added  the  widow,  raising  the 
chronometer  to  her  ear,  "  though  it  is  so  very  wrong.  Well, 
set  it,  Mr.  Mulford ;  then  we  will  set  Rose's,  which  I  '11  en 
gage  is  half  an  hour  out  of  the  way,  though  it  can  never  be 
as  wrong  as  yours." 

Mulford  was  a  good  deal  embarrassed,  but  he  gained 
courage  by  looking  at  Rose,  who  appeared  to  him  to  be 
quite  as  much  mystified  as  her  aunt.  For  once  he  hoped 
Rose  was  ignorant ;  for  nothing  would  be  so  likely  to  di 
minish  the  feeling  produced  by  the  exposure  of  the  aunt's 
mistake,  as  to  include  the  niece  in  the  same  category. 

"  My  watch  is  a  chronometer,  you  will  recollect,  Mrs. 
Budd,"  said  the  young  man. 

"  I  know  it ;  and  they  ought  to  keep  the  very  best  time — 
that  I  've  always  heard.  My  poor  Mr.  Budd  had  two,  and 
they  were  as  large  as  compasses,  and  sold  for  hundreds  after 
his  lamented  decease." 

"  They  were  ship's  chronometers,  but  mine  was  made  for 
the  pocket.  It  is  true,  chronometers  are  intended  to  keep 
the  most  accurate  time,  and  usually  they  do  ;  this  of  mine, 
in  particular,  would  not  lose  ten  seconds  in  a  twelvemonth, 
did  I  not  carry  it  on  my  person." 

"  No,  no,  it  does  not  seem  to  lose  any,  Harry ;  it  only 
gains,"  cried  Rose,  laughing. 

Mulford  was  now  satisfied,  notwithstanding  all  that  had 
passed  on  a  previous  occasion,  that  the  laughing,  bright- 
eyed,  and  quick-witted  girl  at  his  elbow,  knew  no  more  of 
the  uses  of  a  chronometer  than  her  unusually  dull  and  igno 


202  JACK    TIER; 

rant  aunt ;  and  he  felt  himself  relieved  from  all  embarrass 
ment,  at  once.  Though  he  dared  not  even  seem  to  distrust 
Mrs.  Budd's  intellect  or  knowledge  before  Rose,  he  did  not 
scruple  to  laugh  at  Rose  herself,  to  Rose.  With  her  there 
\vas  no  jealousy  on  the  score  of  capacity,  her  quickness 
being  almost  as  obvious  to  all  who  approached  her  as  her 
beauty. 

"  Rose  Budd,  you  do  not  understand  the  uses  of  a  chrono 
meter,  I  see,"  said  the  mate,  firmly,  "  notwithstanding  all  I 
have  told  you  concerning  them." 

"It  is  to  keep  time,  Harry  Mulford,  is  it  not?" 

"  True,  to  keep  time — but  to  keep  the  time  of  a  particular 
meridian;  you  know  what  meridian  means,  I  hope?" 

Rose  looked  intently  at  her  lover,  and  she  looked  singu 
larly  lovely,  for  she  blushed  slightly,  though  her  smile  was 
as  open  and  amicable  as  ingenuousness  arid  affection  could 
make  it. 

"A  meridian  means  a  point  over  our  heads  —  the  spot 
where  the  sun  is  at  noon,"  said  Rose,  doubtingly. 

"  Quite  right;  but  it  also  means  longitude,  in  one  sense. 
If  you  draw  a  line  from  one  pole  to  the  other,  all  the  places 
it  crosses  are  on  the  same  meridian.  As  the  sun  first  ap 
pears  in  the  east,  it  follows  that  he  rises  sooner  in  places 
that  are  east,  than  in  places  that  are  further  west.  Thus  it 
is,  that  at  Greenwich,  in  England,  where  there  is  an  obser 
vatory  made  for  nautical  purposes,  the  sun  rises  about  five 
hours  sooner  than  it  does  here.  All  this  difference  is  subject 
to  rules,  and  we  know  exactly  how  to  measure  it." 

"  Flow  can  that  be,  Harry  ?  You  told  me  this  but  the 
other  day,  yet  have  I  forgotten  it." 

"  Quite  easily.  As  the  earth  turns  round  in  just  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  its  circumference  is  divided  into  three  hun 
dred  and  sixty  equal  parts,  called  degrees,  we  have  only  to 
divide  360  by  24,  to  know  how  many  of  these  degrees  are 
inHuded  in  the  difference  produced  by  one  hour  of  time. 
There  are  just  fifteen  of  them,  as  you  will  find  by  multiply 
ing  24  by  15.  It  follows  that  the  sun  rises  just  one  hour 
later,  each  fifteen  degrees  of  longitude,  as  you  go  west,  or 
one  hour  earlier  each  fifteen  degrees  of  longitude  as  you  go 
east.  Having  ascertained  the  difference  by  the  hour,  it  is 
easy  enough  to  calculate  for  the  minutes  and  seconds." 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  207 

miles  to  the  eastward  of  the  islets, — proof  that  he  was  doing 
very  well,  and  that  there  was  no  current  to  do  him  any 
material  harm,  if,  indeed,  there  were  not  actually  a  current 
in  his  favour.  He  next  tacked  to  the  northward  again,  and 
stood  in  that  direction  until  near  night,  when  he  once  more 
went  about.  The  wind  was  now  so  light  that  he  saw  little 
prospect  of  getting  in  with  the  reef  again,  until  the  return 
of  day  ;  but  as  he  had  left  orders  with  Jack  Tier  to  be  called 
at  twelve  o'clock,  at  all  events,  this  gave  him  no  uneasiness. 
At  the  time  when  the  mate  lay  down  to  take  his  rest,  there 
fore,  the  schooner  was  quite  five-and-twenty  miles  to  wind 
ward  of  the  Dry  Tortugas,  and  some  twenty  miles  to  the 
northward  of  the  Florida  Reef,  with  the  wind  quite  light  at 
east-south-east.  Such,  then,  was  the  position  or  situation 
of  the  schooner. 

As  respects  her  condition,  it  is  easily  described.  She  had 
but  the  three  sails  bent, — mainsail,  foresail,  and  jib.  Her 
topmasts  had  been  struck,  and  all  the  hamper  that  belonged 
to  them  was  below.  The  mainsail  was  single  reefed,  and 
the  foresail  and  jib  were  without  their  bonnets,  as  has  already 
been  mentioned.  This  was  somewhat  short  canvas,  but 
Mulford  knew  that  it  would  render  his  craft  more  manage 
able  in  the  event  of  a  blow.  Usually,  at  that  season  and 
in  that  region,  the  east  trades  prevailed  with  great  steadi 
ness,  sometimes  diverging  a  little  south  of  east,  as  at  present, 
and  generally  blowing  fresh.  But,  for  a  short  time  previ 
ously  to,  and  ever  since  the  tornado,  the  wind  had  been 
unsettled,  the  old  currents  appearing  to  regain  their  ascend 
ancy  by  fits,  and  then  losing  it,  in  squalls,  contrary  currents, 
and  even  by  short  calms. 

The  conference  between  Jack  Tier  and  Rose  was  frank 
and  confidential. 

"  We  must  depend  mainly  on  you,"  said  the  latter,  turn 
ing  to  look  toward  the  spot  where  Mulford  lay,  buried  in 
the  deepest  sleep  that  had  ever  gained  power  over  him. 
"  Harry  is  so  fatigued  !  It  would  be  shameful  to  awaken 
him  a  moment  sooner  than  is  necessary." 

"Ay,  ay ;  so  it  is  always  with  young  women,  when  they 
lets  a  young  man  gain  their  ears,"  answered  Jack,  without 
the  least  circumlocution  ;  "  so  it  is,  and  so  it  always  will 
be,  I  'm  afeard.  Nevertheless,  men  is  willians." 


208  JACK   TIER; 

Rose  was  not  affronted  at  this  plain  allusion  to  the  power 
that  Mulford  had  obtained  over  her  feelings.  It  would  seem 
that  Jack  had  got  to  be  so  intimate  in  the  cabins,  that  his 
sex  was,  in  a  measure,  forgotten ;  and  it  is  certain  that  his 
recent  services  were  not.  Without  a  question,  but  for  his 
interference,  the  pretty  Rose  Budd  would,  at  that  moment^ 
have  been  the  prisoner  of  Spike,  and  most  probably  the  vic 
tim  of  his  design  to  compel  her  to  marry  him. 

"All  men  are  not  Stephen  Spikes,"  said  Rose,  earnestly, 
"  and  least  of  all  is  Harry  Mulford  to  be  reckoned  as  one 
of  his  sort.  But,  we  must  manage  to  take  care  of  the 
schooner  the  whole  night,  and  let  Harry  get  his  rest.  He 
wished  to  be  called  at  twelve,  but  we  can  easily  let  the  hour 
go  by,  and  not  awaken  him." 

"  The  commanding  officer  ought  not  to  be  sarved  so,  Misa 
Rose.  What  he  says  is  to  be  done." 

"  I  know  it,  Jack,  as  to  ordinary  matters;  but  Harry  left 
these  orders  that  we  might  have  our  share  of  rest,  and  for 
no  other  reason  at  all.  And  what  is  to  prevent  our  having 
it  ?  We  are  four,  and  can  divide  ourselves  into  two  watches; 
one  watch  can  sleep  while  the  other  keeps  a  look-out." 

"Ay,  ay,  and  pretty  watches  they  would  be!  There's 
Madam  Budd,  now ;  why,  she 's  quite  a  navigator,  and 
knows  all  about  weerin'  and  haulin',  and  I  dares  to  say  could 
put  the  schooner  about,  to  keep  her  off  the  reef,  on  a  pinch; 
though  which  way  the  craft  would  come  round,  could  best 
be  told  a'ter  it  has  been  done.  It's  as  much  as  I'd  under 
take  myself,  Miss  Rose,  to  take  care  of  the  schooner,  should 
it  come  on  to  blow ;  and  as  for  you,  Madam  Budd,  and  that 
squalling  Irishwoman,  you  'd  be  no  better  than  so  many 
housewives  ashore." 

"  We  have  strength,  and  we  have  courage,  and  we  can 
pull,  as  you  have  seen.  I  know  very  well  which  way  to  put 
the  helm  now,  and  Biddy  is  as  strong  as  you  are  yourself, 
and  could  help  me  all  I  wished.  Then  we  could  always 
call  you,  at.  need,  and  have  your  assistance.  Nay,  Harry 
himself  can  be  called,  if  there  should  be  a  real  necessity  for 
it,  and  I  do  wish  he  may  not  be  disturbed  until  there  is  that 
necessity." 

It  was  with  a  good  deal  of  reluctance  that  Jack  allowed 
himself  to  be  persuaded  into  this  scheme.  He  insisted,  for 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  209 

a  long  time,  that  an  officer  should  be  called  at  the  hour 
mentioned  by  himself,  and  declared  he  had  never  known 
such  an  order  neglected,  "  marchant-rnan,  privateer,  or  man- 
of-war."  Rose  prevailed  over  his  scruples,  however,  and  there 
was  a  meeting  of  the  three  females  to  make  the  final  ar 
rangements.  Mrs.  Budd,  a  kind  hearted  woman,  at  the  worst, 
gave  her  assent  most  cheerfully,  though  Rose  was  a  little 
startled  with  the  nature  of  the  reasoning,  with  which  it  was 
accompanied. 

"You  are  quite  right,  Rosy  dear,"  said  the  aunt,  "and 
the  thing  is  very  easily  done.  I've  long  wanted  to  keep  one 
watch,  at  sea  ;  just  one  watch ;  to  complete  my  maritime 
education.  Your  poor  uncle  used  to  say,  *  Give  my  wife 
but  one  night-watch,  and  you'd  have  as  good  a  seaman  in 
her  as  heart  could  wish.'  I'm  sure  I've  had  night-watches 
enough  with  him  and  his  ailings ;  but  it  seems  that  they  were 
not  the  sort  of  watches  he  meant.  Indeed,  I  did  n't  know- 
till  this  evening  there  were  so  many  watches  in  the  world, 
at  all.  But  this  is  just  what  I  want,  and  just  what  I  'm  re 
solved  to  have.  Tier  shall  command  one  watch  and  I  '11 
command  the  other.  Jack's  shall  be  the  '  dog-watch,'  as 
they  call  it,  and  mine  shall  be  the  *  middle-watch,'  and  last 
till  morning.  You  shall  be  in  Jack's  watch,  Rose,  and 
Biddy  shall  be  in  mine.  You  know  a  good  deal  that  Jack 
don't  know,  and  Biddy  can  do  a  good  deal  I'm  rather  too 
stout  to  do.  I  don't  like  pulling-  ropes,  but  as  for  ordering, 
I  'II  turn  my  back  on  no  captain's  widow  out  of  York." 

Rose  had  her  own  misgivings  on  the  subject  of  her  aunt's 
issuing  orders  on  such  a  subject  to  any  one,  but  she  made 
the  best  of  necessity,  and  completed  the  arrangements  with 
out  further  discussion.  Her  great  anxiety  was  to  secure  a 
good  night's  rest  for  Harry,  already  feeling  a  woman's  care 
in  the  comfort  and  ease  of  the  man  she  loved.  And  Rosa 
did  love  Harry  Mulford  warmly  and  sincerely.  If  the  very 
decided  preference  with  which  she  regarded  him  before  they 
sailed,  had  not  absolutely  amounted  to  passion,  it  had  come 
so  very  near  it  as  to  render  that  access  of  feeling  certain, 
under  the  influence  of  the  association  and  events  which  suc 
ceeded.  We  have  not  thought  it  necessary  to  relate  a  tithe 
of  the  interviews  and  intercourse  that  had  taken  place  be 
tween  the  handsome  male  and  the  pretty  Rose  Budd,  during 
18* 


210  JACK   TIER; 

the  month  they  had  now  been  shipmates,  having  left  the 
reader  to  imagine  the  natural  course  of  things,  under  such 
circumstances.  Nevertheless,  the  plighted  troth  had  not  been 
actually  given  until  Harry  joined  her  on  the  islet,  at  a  mo 
ment  when  she  fancied  herself  abandoned  to  a  fate  almost 
as  serious  as  death.  Rose  had  seen  Mulford  quit  the  brig, 
had  watched  the  mode  and  manner  of  his  escape,  and  in 
almost  breathless  amazement,  and  felt  how  dear  to  her  he 
had  become,  by  the  glow  of  delight  which  warmed  her  heart, 
when  assured  that  he  could  not,  would  not,  forsake  her,  even 
though  he  remained  at  the  risk  of  life.  She  was  now,  true 
to  the  instinct  of  her  sex,  mostly  occupied  in  making  such  a 
return  for  an  attachment  so  devoted  as  became  her  tender 
ness  and  the  habits  of  her  mind. 

As  Mrs.  Budd  chose  what  she  was  pleased  to  term  the 
*  middle-watch,'  giving  to  Jack  Tier  and  Rose  her  '  dog 
watch,'  the  two  last  were  first  on  duty.  It  is  scarcely  ne 
cessary  to  say,  the  captain's  widow  got  the  names  of  the 
watches  all  wrong,  as  she  got  the  names  of  everything  else 
about  a  vessel;  but  the  plan  was  to  divide  the  night  equally 
between  these  quasi  manners,  giving  the  first  half  to  those 
who  were  first  on  the  look-out,  and  the  remainder  to  their 
successors.  It  soon  became  so  calm,  that  Jack  left  the  helm, 
and  came  and  sat  by  Rose,  on  the  trunk,  where  they  con 
versed  confidentially  for  a  long  time.  Although  the  reader 
will,  hereafter,  be  enabled  to  form  some  plausible  conjectures 
on  the  subject  of  this  dialogue,  we  shall  give  him  no  part 
of  it  here.  All  that  need  now  be  said,  is  to  add,  that  Jack 
did  most  of  the  talking,  that  his  past  life  was  the  principal 
theme,  and  that  the  terrible  Stephen  Spike,  he  from  whom 
they  were  now  so  desirous  of  escaping,  was  largely  mixed 
up  with  the  adventures  recounted.  Jack  found  in  his  com 
panion  a  deeply  interested  listener,  although  this  was  by  no 
means  the  first  time  they  had  gone  over  together  the  same 
story  and  discussed  the  same  events.  The  conversation  lasted 
until  Tier,  who  watched  the  glass,  seeing  that  its  sands  had 
run  out  for  the  last  time,  announced  the  hour  of  midnight. 
This  was  the  moment  when  Mulford  should  have  been  called, 
but  when  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy  Noon  were  actually  awak 
ened  in  his  stead. 

"  Now,  dear  aunty,"  said  Rose,  as  she  parted  from  the 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  211 

new  watch  to  go  and  catch  a  little  sleep  herself,  "  remember 
you  are  not  to  awaken  Harry  first,  but  to  call  Tier  and 
myself.  It  would  have  done  your  heart  good  to  have  seen 
how  sweetly  he  has  been  sleeping  all  this  time.  I  do  not 
think  he  has  stirred  once  since  his  head  was  laid  on  that 
bunch  of  sails,  and  there  he  is,  at  this  moment,  sleeping  like 
an  infant !" 

"  Yes,"  returned  the  relict,  "  it  is  always  so  with  your 
true  maritime  people.  I  have  been  sleeping  a  great  deal 
more  soundly,  the  whole  of  the  dog-watch,  than  I  ever  slept 
at  home,  in  my  own  excellent  bed.  But  it's  your  watch 
below,  Rosy,  and  contrary  to  rule  for  you  to  stay  on  the 
deck,  after  you  've  been  relieved.  I  've  heard  this  a  thousand 
times." 

Rose  was  not  sorry  to  lie  down ;  and  her  head  was  scarcely 
on  its  pillow,  in  the  cabin,  before  she  was  fast  asleep.  As 
for  Jack,  he  found  a  place  among  Mulford's  sails,  and  was 
quickly  in  the  same  state. 

To  own  the  truth,  Mrs.  Budd  was  not  quite  as  mucrf  at 
ease,  in  her  new  station,  for  the  first  half  hour,  as  she  had 
fancied  to  herself  might  prove  to  be  the  case.  It  was  a  flat 
calm,  it  is  true;  but  the  widow  felt  oppressed  with  respon 
sibility  and  the  novelty  of  her  situation.  Time  and  again 
had  she  said,  and  even  imagined,  she  should  be  delighted  to 
fill  the  very  station  she  then  occupied,  or  to  be  in  charge  of 
a  deck,  in  a  "  middle  watch."  In  this  instance,  however, 
as  in  so  many  others,  reality  did  not  equal  anticipation. 
She  wished  to  be  doing  everything,  but  did  riot  know  how 
to  do  anything.  As  for  Biddy,  she  was  even  worse  off  than 
her  mistress.  A  month's  experience,  or  for  that  matter  a 
twelvemonth's,  could  not  unravel  to  her  the  mysteries  of 
even  a  schooner's  rigging.  Mrs.  Budd  had  placed  her  "at 
the  wheel,"  as  she  called  it,  though  the  vessel  had  no  wheel, 
being  steered  by  a  tiller  on  deck,  in  the  'long-shore  fashion. 
In  stationing  Biddy,  the  widow  told  her  that  she  was  to  play 
"tricks  at  the  wheel,"  leaving  it  to  the  astounded  Irish 
woman's  imagination  to  discover  what  those  tricks  were. 
Failing  in  ascertaining  what  might  be  the  nature  of  her 
"tricks  at  the  wheel,"  Biddy  was  content  to  do  nothing,  and 
nothing,  under  the  circumstances,  was  perhaps  the  very  best 
thing  she  could  have  done. 


212  JACK    TIER; 

Little  was  required  to  be  done  for  the  first  four  hours  of 
Mrs.  Budd's  watch.  All  that  time,  Rose  slept  in  her  berth; 
and  Mul ford  and  Jack  Tier  on  their  sail,  while  Biddy  had 
played  the  wheel  a  "  trick,"  indeed,  by  lying  down  on  deck, 
and  sleeping,  too,  as  soundly  as  if  she  were  in  the  county 
Down  itself.  But  there  was  to  be  an  end  of  this  tranquillity. 
Suddenly  the  wind  began  to  blow.  At  first,  the  breeze 
came  in  fitful  puffs,  which  were  neither  very  strong  nor  very 
lasting.  This  induced  Mrs.  Budd  to  awaken  Biddy.  Luckily, 
a  schooner  without  a  topsail  could  not  very  well  be  taken 
aback,  especially  as  the  head-sheets  worked  on  travellers, 
and  Mrs.  Budd  and  her  assistant  contrived  to  manage  the 
tiller  very  well  for  the  first  hour  that  these  varying  puffs  of 
wind  lasted.  It  is  true,  the  tiller  was  lashed,  and  it  is  also 
true,  the  schooner  ran  in  all  directions,  having  actually 
headed  to  all  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass,  under  her 
present  management.  At  length,  Mrs.  Budd  became  alarmed. 
A  puff  of  wind  carne  so  strong,  as  to  cause  the  vessel  to  lie 
over  so  far  as  to  bring  the  water  into  the  lee  scuppers.  She 
called  Jack  Tier  herself,  therefore,  and  sent  Biddy  down  to 
awaken  Rose.  In  a  minute,  both  these  auxiliaries  appeared 
on  deck.  The  wind  just  then  lulled,  and  Rose,  supposing 
her  aunt  was  frightened  at  trifles,  insisted  on  it  that  Harry 
should  be  permitted  to  sleep  on.  He  had  turned  over  once, 
in  the  course  of  the  night,  but  not  once  had  he  raised  his 
head  from  his  pillow. 

As  soon  as  reinforced,  Mrs.  Budd  began  to  bustle  about, 
and  to  give  commands,  such  as  they  were,  in  order  to  prove 
that  she  was  unterrified.  Jack  Tier  gaped  at  her  elbow, 
and  by  way  of  something  to  do,  he  laid  his  hand  on  the 
painter  of  the  Swash's  boat,  which  boat  was  towing  astern, 
and  remarked  that  t;  some  know-nothing  had  belayed  it  with 
three  half-hitches."  This  was  enough  for  the  relict.  She 
hnd  often  heard  the  saying  that  "  three  half-hitches  lost  the 
king's  long-boat,"  and  she  busied  herself,  at  once,  in  repairing 
so  imminent  an  evil.  It  was  far  easier  for  the  good  woman 
to  talk  than  (o  act;  she  became  what  is  called  "all  fingers 
and  thumbs,"  and  in  loosening  the  third  half-hitch,  she  cast 
off  the  two  others.  At  that  instant,  a  puff  of  wind  struck 
the  schooner  again,  and  the  end  of  the  painter  got  away 
from  the  widow,  who  had  a  last  glimpse  at  the  boat,  as  the 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  213 

vessel  darted  ahead,  leaving  its  little  tender  to  vanish  in  the 
gloom  of  the  night. 

Jack  was  excessively  provoked  at  this  accident,  for  he 
had  foreseen  the  possibility  of  having  recourse  to  that  boat 
yet,  in  order  to  escape  from  Spike.  By  abandoning  the 
schooner,  and  pulling  on  to  the  reef,  it  might  have  been 
possible  to  get  out  of  their  pursuer's  hands,  when  all  other* 
means  should  fail  them.  As  he  was  at  the  tiller,  he  put  his 
helm  up,  and  ran  off,  until  far  enough  to  leeward  to  be  to 
the  westward  of  the  boat,  when  he  might  tack,  fetch  and 
recover  it.  Nevertheless,  it  now  blew  much  harder  than  he 
liked,  for  the  schooner  seemed  to  be  unusually  tender.  Had 
he  had  the  force  to  do  it,  he  would  have  brailed  the  foresail. 
He  desired  Rose  to  call  Mulford,  but  she  hesitated  about 
complying. 

14  Call  him—call  the  mate,  I  say,"  cried  out  Jack,  in  a 
voice  that  proved  how  much  he  was  in  earnest.  "  These 
puffs  come  heavy,  I  can  tell  you,  and  they  come  often,  too. 
Call  him — call  him,  at  once,  Miss  Rose,  for  it  is  time  to 
tack  if  we  wish  to  recover  the  boat.  Tell  him,  too,  to  brail 
the  foresail,  while  we  are  in  stays — that's  right ;  another 
call  will  start  him  up." 

The  other  call  was  given,  aided  by  a  gentle  shake  from 
Ros-e's  hand.  Harry  was  on  his  feet  in  a  moment.  A  pass 
ing  instant  was  necessary  to  clear  his  faculties,  and  to  recover 
the  tenor  of  his  thoughts.  During  that  instant,  the  mate 
heard  Jack  Tier's  shrill  cry  of  "  Hard  a-lee — get  in  that 
foresail — bear  a-hand — in  with  it,  I  say!" 

The  wind  came  rushing  and  roaring,  and  the  flaps  of  the 
canvas  were  violent  and  heavy. 

"  In  with  the  foresail,  I  say,"  shouted  Jack  Tier.  "  She 
flies  round  like  a  top,  and  will  be  off  the  wind  on  the  other 
tack  presently.  Bear  a-hand  ! — bear  a-hand  !  It  looks  black 
as  night  to  windward." 

Mulford  then  regained  all  his  powers,  He  sprang  to  the 
fore-sheet,  calling  on  the  others  for  aid.  The  violent  surges 
produced  by  the  wind  prevented  his  grasping  the  sheet  as 
soon  as  he  could  wish,  and  the  vessel  whirled  round  on 
her  heel,  like  a  steed  that  is  frightened.  At  that  critical  and 
dangerous  instant,  when  the  schooner  was  nearly  without 
motion  through  the  water,  a  squall  struck  the  flattened  sails, 

VOL.  I.  — 27 


214  JACK  TIER; 

and  bowed  her  down  as  the  willow  bends  to  the  gale.  Mr3« 
Budd  and  Biddy  screamed  as  usual,  and  Jack  shouted  until 
his  voice  seemed  cracked,  to  "  let  go  the  head-sheets." 
Mulford  did  make  one  leap  forward,  to  execute  this  necessary 
office,  when  the  inclining  plane  of  the  deck  told  him  it  was 
too  late.  The  wind  fairly  howled  for  a  minute,  and  over 
went  the  schooner,  the  remains  of  her  cargo  shifting  as  she 
capsized,  in  a  way  to  bring  her  very  nearly  bottom  upward. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Ay,  fare  you  well,  fair  gentleman. — As  You  Like  it. 

WHILE  the  tyro  believes  the  vessel  is  about  to  capsize  at 
every  puff  of  wind,  the  practised  seaman  alone  knows  when 
danger  truly  besets  him  in  this  particular  form.  Thus  it 
was  with  Harry  Mulford,  when  the  Mexican  schooner  went 
over,  as  related  in  the  close  of  the  preceding  chapter.  He 
felt  no  alarm  until  the  danger  actually  came.  Then,  in 
deed,  no  one  there  was  so  quickly,  or  so  thoroughly  apprized 
of  what  the  result  would  be,  and  he  directed  all  his  exertions 
to  meet  the  exigency.  While  there  was  the  smallest  hope 
of  success,  he  did  not  lessen,  in  the  least,  his  endeavours  to 
save  the  vessel  ;  making  almost  superhuman  efforts  to  cast 
off  the  fore-sheet,  so  as  to  relieve  the  schooner  from  the 
pressure  of  one  of  her  sails.  But,  no  sooner  did  he  hear 
the  barrels  in  the  hold  surging  to  leeward,  and  feel  by  the 
inclination  of  the  deck  beneath  his  feet,  that  nothing  could 
save  the  craft,  than  he  abandoned  the  sheet,  and  sprang  to 
the  assistance  of  Rose.  It  was  time  he  did  ;  for,  having  fol 
lowed  him  into  the  vessel's  lee-waist,  she  was  the  first  to 
be  submerged  in  the  sea,  and  would  have  been  hopelessly 
drowned,  but  for  Mul ford's  timely  succour.  Women  might 
swim  more  readily  than  men,  and  do  so  swim,  in  those  por 
tions  of  the  world  where  the  laws  of  nature  are  not  counter- 
acted  by  human  conventions.  Rose  Budd,  however,  had  re 
ceived  the  vicious  education  which  civilized  society  inflicts  on 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  215 

her  sex,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  was  totally  helpless  in  an 
element  in  which  it  was  the  design  of  Divine  Providence  she 
should  possess  the  common  means  of  sustaining  herself,  like 
every  other  being  endued  with  animal  life.  Not  so  with 
Mulford  :  he  swam  with  ease  and  force,  and  had  no  difficulty 
in  sustaining  Rose  until  the  schooner  had  settled  into  her 
new  berth,  or  in  hauling  her  on  the  vessel's  bottom  imme 
diately  after. 

Luckily,  there  was  no  swell,  or  so  little  as  not  to  endan 
ger  those  who  were  on  the  schooner's  bilge  ;  and  Mulford 
had  no  sooner  placed  her  in  momentary  safety  at  least, 
whom  he  prized  far  higher  than  his  own  life,  than  he  be 
thought  him  of  his  other  companions.  Jack  Tier  had  hauled 
himself  up  to  windward  by  the  rope  that  steadied  the  tiller, 
and  he  had  called  on  Mrs.  Budd  to  imitate  his  example.  It 
was  so  natural  for  even  a  woman  to  grasp  anything  like  a 
rope  at  such  a  moment,  that  the  widow  instinctively  obeyed, 
while  Biddy  seized,  at  random,  the  first  thing  of  the  sort 
that  offered.  Owing  to  these  fortunate  chances,  Jack  and 
Mrs.  Budd  succeeded  in  reaching  the  quarter  of  the  schoo 
ner,  the  former  actually  getting  up  on  the  bottom  of  the 
wreck,  on  to  which  he  was  enabled  to  float  the  widow,  who 
was  almost  as  buoyant  as  cork,  as  indeed  was  the  case  with 
Jack  himself.  All  the  stern  and  bows  of  the  vessel  were 
under  water,  in  consequence  of  her  leanness  forward  and 
aft ;  but  though  submerged,  she  offered  a  precarious  footing, 
even  in  these  extremities,  to  such  as  could  reach  them.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  place  where  Rose  stood,  or  the  bilge  of 
the  vessel,  was  two  or  three  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 
sea,  though  slippery  and  inclining  in  shape. 

It  was  not  half  a  minute  from  the  time  that  Mulford  sprang 
to  Rose's  succour,  ere  he  had  her  on  the  vessel's  bottom. 
In  another  half  minute,  he  had  waded  down  on  the  schooner's 
counter,  where  Jack  Tier  was  lustily  calling  to  him  for 
"  help !"  and  assisted  the  widow  to  her  feet,  and  supported 
her  until  she  stood  at  Rose's  side.  Leaving  the  last  in  her 
aunt's  arms,  half  distracted  between  dread  and  joy,  he  turned 
to  the  assistance  of  Biddy.  The  rope  at  which  the  Irish 
woman  had  caught,  was  a  straggling  end  that  had  been 
made  fast  to  the  main  channels  of  the  schooner,  for  the  sup 
port  of  a  fender,  and  had  been  hauled  partly  in-board  to 


216  JACK  TIER; 

keep  it  out  of  the  water.  Biddy  had  found  no  difficulty  in 
dragging  herself  up  to  the  chains,  therefore;  and  had  she 
been  content  to  sustain  herself  by  the  rope,  leaving  as  much 
of  her  body  submerged  as  comported  with  breathing,  her 
task  would  have  been  easy.  But,  like  most  persons  who  do 
not  know  how  to  swim,  the  good  woman  was  fast  exhaust- 
ir.g  her  strength,  by  vain  efforts  to  walk  on  the  surface  of 
an  element  that  was  never  made  to  sustain  her.  Unprac 
tised  persons,  in  such  situations,  cannot  be  taught  to  believe 
that  their  greatest  safety  is  in  leaving  as  much  of  their  bo 
dies  as  possible  beneath  the  water,  keeping  the  mouth  and 
nose  alone  free  for  breath.  But  we  have  seen  even  in 
stances  in  which  men,  who  were  in  danger  of  drowning, 
seemed  to  believe  it  might  be  possible  for  them  to  crawl  over 
the  waves  on  their  hands  and  knees.  The  philosophy  of 
the  contrary  course  is  so  very  simple,  that  one  would  fancy 
a  very  child  might  be  made  to  comprehend  it;  yet,  it  is  rare 
to  find  one  unaccustomed  to  the  water,  and  who  is  suddenly 
exposed  to  its  dangers,  that  does  not  resort,  under  the  pres 
sure  of  present  alarm,  to  the  very  reverse  of  the  true  means 
to  save  his  or  her  life. 

Mulford  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  Bridget,  whose  excla 
mations  of  "  murther  !"  "  help  !"  "  he-l-lup  !"  "  Jasus  !"  and 
other  similar  cries,  led  him  directly  to  the  spot,  where  she 
was  fast  drowning  herself  by  her  own  senseless  struggles. 
Seizing  her  by  the  arm,  the  active  young  mate  soon  placed 
her  on  her  feet,  though  her  cries  did  not  cease  until  she 
was  ordered  by  her  mistress  to  keep  silence. 

Having  thus  rescued  the  whole  of  his  companions  from 
immediate  danger,  Mulford  began  to  think  of  the  future. 
He  was  seized  with  sudden  surprise  that  the  vessel  did  not 
sink,  and  for  a  minute  he  was  unable  to  account  for  the  un 
usual  fact.  On  the  former  occasion,  the  schooner  had  gone 
down  almost  as  soon  as  she  fell  over ;  but  now  she  floated 
with  so  much  buoyancy  as  to  leave  most  of  her  keel  and  all 
of  her  bilge  on  one  side  quite  clear  of  the  water.  As  one 
of  the  main  hatches  was  off,  and  the  cabin-doors,  and  booby- 
hatch  doors  forward  were  open,  and  all  were  under  water, 
it  required  a  little  reflection  on  the  part  of  Mulford  to  un 
derstand  on  what  circumstance  all  their  lives  now  depended. 
The  mate  soon  ascertained  the  truth,  however,  and  we  may 


OR,     THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  217 

as  well  explain  it  to  the  reader  in  our  own  fashion,  in  order 
to  put  him  on  a  level  with  the  young  seaman. 

The  puff  of  wind,  or  little  squall,  had  struck  the  schooner 
at  the  most  unfavourable  moment  for  her  safety.  She  had 
just  lost  her  way  in  tacking,  and  the  hull  not  moving  ahead, 
as  happens  when  a  craft  is  thus  assailed  with  the  motion  on 
her,  all  the  power  of  the  wind  was  expended  in  the  direction 
necessary  to  capsize  her.  Another  disadvantage  arose  from 
the  want  of  motion.  The  rudder,  which  acts  solely  by 
pressing  against  the  water  as  the  vessel  meets  it,  was  use 
less,  and  it  was  not  possible  to  luff,  and  throw  the  wind  from 
the  sails,  as  is  usually  practised  by  fore-and-aft  rigged  craft, 
in  moments  of  such  peril.  In  consequence  of  these  united 
difficulties,  the  shifting  of  the  cargo  in  the  hold,  the  tender 
ness  of  the  craft  itself,  and  the  force  of  the  squall,  the 
schooner  had  gone  so  far  over  as  to  carry  all  three  of  the 
openings  to  her  interior  suddenly  under  water,  where  they 
remained,  held  by  the  pressure  of  the  cargo  that  had  rolled 
to  leeward.  Had  not  the  water  completely  covered  these 
openings,  or  hatches,  the  schooner  must  have  sunk  in  a 
minute  or  two,  or  by  the  time  Mulford  had  got  all  his  com 
panions  safe  on  her  bilge.  But  they  were  completely  sub 
merged,  and  so  continued  to  be,  which  circumstance  alone 
prevented  the  vessel  from  sinking,  as  the  following  simple 
explanation  will  show. 

Any  person  who  will  put  an  empty  tumbler,  bottom  up 
wards,  into  a  bucket  of  water,  will  find  that  the  water  will 
not  rise  within  the  tumbler  more  than  an  inch  at  most.  At 
that  point  it  is  arrested  by  the  resistance  of  the  air,  which, 
unable  to  escape,  and  compressed  into  a  narrow  compass, 
forms  a  body  that  the  other  fluid  cannot  penetrate.  It  is  on 
this  simple  and  familiar  principle,  that  the  chemist  keeps  his 
gases,  in  inverted  glasses,  placing  them  on  shelves,  slightly 
submerged  in  water.  Thus  it  was,  then,  that  the  schooner 
continued  to  float,  though  nearly  bottom  upward,  and  with 
three  inlets  open,  by  which  the  water  could  and  did  pene 
trate.  A  considerable  quantity  of  the  element  had  rushed 
in  at  the  instant  of  capsizing,  but  meeting  with  resistance 
from  the  compressed  and  pent  air,  its  progress  had  been  ar 
rested,  and  the  wreck  continued  to  float,  sustained  by  the 
buoyancy  that  was  imparted  to  it,  in  containing  so  large  a 

VOL.  I.— 19 


218  JACK  TIER; 

body  of  a  substance  no  heavier  than  atmospheric  air.  After 
displacing  its  weight  of  water,  enough  of  buoyancy  remained 
to  raise  the  keel  a  few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

As  soon  as  Mulford  had  ascertained  the  facts  of  their  sit 
uation,  he  communicated  them  to  his  companions,  encour 
aging  them  to  hope  for  eventual  safety.  It  was  true,  their 
situation  was  nearly  desperate,  admitting  that  the  wreck 
should  continue  to  float  for  ever,  since  they  were  almost 
without  food,  or  anything  to  drink,  and  had  no  means  of 
urging  the  hull  through  the  water.  They  must  float,  too, 
at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves,  and  should  a  sea  get 
up,  it  might  soon  be  impossible  for  Mulford  himself  to  main 
tain  his  footing  on  the  bottom  of  the  wreck.  All  this  the 
young  man  had  dimly  shadowed  forth  to  him,  through  his 
professional  experience ;  but  the  certainty  of  the  vessel's  not 
sinking  immediately  had  so  far  revived  his  spirits,  as  to 
cause  him  to  look  on  the  bright  side  of  the  future,  pale  as 
that  glimmering  of  hope  was  made  to  appear  whenever  rea 
son  cast  one  of  its  severe  glances  athwart  it. 

Harry  had  no  difficulty  in  making  Rose  comprehend  their 
precise  situation.  Her  active  and  clear  mind  understood  at 
once  the  causes  of  their  present  preservation,  and  most  of 
the  hazards  of  the  future.  It  was  not  so  with  Jack  Tier. 
He  was  composed,  even  resigned  ;  but  he  could  not  see  the 
reason  why  the  schooner  still  floated. 

"  I  know  that  the  cabin-doors  were  open,"  he  said,  "  and 
if  they  was  n't,  of  no  great  matter  would  it  be,  since  the 
joints  ar'n't  caulked,  and  the  water  would  run  through  them 
as  through  a  sieve.  I  'm  afeard,  Mr.  Mulford,  we  shall  find 
the  wreck  going  from  under  our  feet  afore  long,  and  when 
we  least  wish  it,  perhaps." 

"  I  tell  you  the  wreck  will  float  so  long  as  the  air  remains 
in  its  hold,"  returned  the  mate,  cheerfully.  "  Do  you  not 
see  how  buoyant  it  is? — the  certain  proof  that  there  is  plenty 
of  air  within.  So  long  as  that  remains,  the  hull  must  float." 

"I've  always  understood,"  said  Jack,  sticking  to  his 
opinion,  "  that  wessels  floats  by  vartue  of  water,  and  not  by 
vartue  of  air ;  and,  that  when  the  water  gets  on  the  wrong 
side  on  'em,  there's  little  hope  left  of  keepin'  'em  up." 

"  What  has  become  of  the  boat  ?"  suddenly  cried  the 
mate.  "  I  have  been  so  much  occupied  as  to  have  forgotten 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA    REEF.  219 

the  boat.  In  that  boat  we  might  all  of  us  still  reach  Key 
West.  I  see  nothing  of  the  boat !" 

A  profound  silence  succeeded  this  sudden  and  unexpected 
question.  All  knew  that  the  boat  was  gone,  and  all  knew 
that  it  had  been  lost  by  the  widow's  pertinacity  and  clum 
siness  ;  but  no  one  felt  disposed  to  betray  her  at  that  grave 
moment.  Mulford  left  the  bilge,  and  waded  as  far  aft  as 
it  was  at  all  prudent  for  him  to  proceed,  in  the  vain  hope 
that  the  boat  might  be  there,  fastened  by  its  painter  to  the 
schooner's  tafferel,  as  he  had  left  it,  but  concealed  from 
view  by  the  darkness  of  the  night.  Not  finding  what  he 
was  after,  he  returned  to  his  companions,  still  uttering  ex 
clamations  of  surprise  at  the  unaccountable  loss  of  the  boat. 
Rose  now  told  him  that  the  boat  had  got  adrift  some  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes  before  the  accident  befell  them,  and  that 
they  were  actually  endeavouring  to  recover  it  when  the 
squall  which  capsized  the  schooner  struck  them. 

"And  why  did  you  not  call  me,  Rose?"  asked  Harry, 
with  a  little  of  gentle  reproach  in  his  manner.  "  It  must 
have  soon  been  my  watch  on  deck,  and  it  would  have  been 
better  that  I  should  lose  half  an  hour  of  my  watch  below, 
than  that  we  should  lose  the  boat." 

Rose  was  now  obliged  to  confess  that  the  time  for  calling 
him  had  long  been  past,  and  that  the  faint  streak  of  light, 
which  was  just  appearing  in  the  east,  was  the  near  approach 
of  day.  This  explanation  was  made  gently,  but  frankly; 
and  Mulford  experienced  a  glow  of  pleasure  at  his  heart, 
even  in  that  moment  of  jeopardy,  when  he  understood 
Rose's  motive  for  not  having  him  disturbed.  As  the  boat 
was  gone,  with  little  or  no  prospect  of  its  being  recovered 
again,  no  more  was  said  about  it ;  and  the  widow,  who  had 
stood  on  thorns  the  while,  had  the  relief  of  believing  that 
her  awkwardness  was  forgotten. 

It  was  such  a  relief  from  an  imminent  danger  to  have 
escaped  from  drowning  when  the  schooner  capsized,  that 
those  on  her  bottom  did  not,  for  some  little  time,  realize 
all  the  terrors  of  their  actual  situation.  The  inconvenience 
of  being  wet  was  a  trifle  not  to  be  thought  of,  and,  in  fact, 
the  light  summer  dresses  worn  by  all,  linen  or  cotton  as 
they  were  entirely,  were  soon  effectually  dried  in  the  wind. 
The  keel  made  a  tolerably  convenient  seat,  and  the  whole 


£20  J  A  c  K   T  x  £  u ; 

party  placed  themselves  on  it  to  await  the  return  of  day,  ill 
order  to  obtain  a  view  of  all  that  their  situation  offered  in 
the  way  of  a  prospect.  While  thus  awaiting,  a  broken  and 
short  dialogue  occurred. 

"Had  you  stood  to  the  northward  the  whole  night?" 
asked  Mulford,  gloomily,  of  Jack  Tier ;  for  gloomily  he 
began  to  feel,  as  all  the  facts  of  their  case  began  to  press 
more  closely  on  his  rnirid.  "  If  so,  we  must  be  well  off  the 
reef,  and  out  of  the  track  of  wreckers  and  turtlers.  How 
had  you  the^wind,  and  how  did  you  head  before  the  acci 
dent  happened  ?" 

"  The  wind  was  light  the  whole  time,  and  for  some  hours 
it  was  nearly  calm,"  answered  Jack,  in  the  same  vein ;  "  I 
kept  the  schooner's  head  to  the  rior'ard,  until  I  thought  we 
were  getting  too  far  off  our  course,  and  then  I  put  her 
about.  I  do  not  think  we  could  have  been  any  great  dis 
tance  from  the  reef,  when  the  boat  got  away  from  us,  and 
I  suppose  we  are  in  its  neighbourhood  now,  for  I  was  tack 
ing  to  fall  in  with  the  boat  when  the  craft  went  over."' 

"  To  fall  in  with  the  boat !  Did  you  keep  off  to  leeward 
of  it,  then,  that  you  expected  to  fetch  it  by  tacking?" 

"Ay,  a  good  bit;  and  I  think  the  boat  is  now  away  here 
to  windward  of  us,  drifting  athwart  our  bows." 

This  was  important  news  to  Mulford.  Could  he  only 
get  that  boat,  the  chances  of  being  saved  would  be  increased 
a  hundred  fold,  nay,  would  almost  amount  to  a  certainty; 
whereas,  so  long  as  the  wind  held  to  the  southward  and 
eastward,  the  drift  of  the  wreck  must  be  toward  the  open 
water,  and  consequently  so  much  the  further  removed  from 
the  means  of  succor.  The  general  direction  of  the  trades, 
in  that  quarter  of  the  world,  is  east,  and  should  they  get 
round  into  their  old  and  proper  quarter,  it  would  not  benefit 
them  much ;  for  the  reef  running  south-west,  they  could 
scarcely  hope  to  hit  the  Dry  Tortugas  again,  in  their  drift, 
were  life  even  spared  them  sufficiently  long  to  float  the  dis 
tance.  Then  there  might  be  currents,  about  which  Mul 
ford  knew  nothing  with  certainty;  they  might  set  them  in 
any  direction;  and  did  they  exist,  as  was  almost  sure  to  be 
the  case,  were  much  more  powerful  than  the  wind  in  con 
trolling  the  movements  of  a  wreck. 

The  mate  strained  his  eyes  in  the  direction  pointed  out 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  221 

by  Jack  Tier,  in  the  hope  of  discovering  the  boat  through 
the  haze  of  the  morning,  and  he  actually  did  discern  some 
thing  that,  it  appeared  to  him,  might  be  the  much  desired 
little  craft.  If  he  were  right,  there  was  every  reason  to 
think  the  boat  would  drift  down  so  near  them  as  to  enable 
him  to  recover  it  by  swimming.  This  cheering  intelligence 
was  communicated  to  his  companions,  who  received  it  with 
gratitude  and  delight.  But  the  approach  of  day  gradually 
dispelled  that  hope,  the  object  which  Mulford  had  mistaken 
for  the  boat,  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  wreck,  turn 
ing  out  to  be  a  small,  low,  but  bare  hummock  of  the  reef, 
at  a  distance  of  more  than  two  miles. 

"  That  is  a  proof  that  we  are  not  far  from  the  reef,  at 
least,"  cried  Mulford,  willing  to  encourage  those  around 
him  all  he  could,  and  really  much  relieved  at  finding  him 
self  so  near  even  this  isolated  fragment  of  terra  Jirma. 
"  This  fact  is  the  next  encouraging  thing  to  finding  our 
selves  near  the  boat,  or  to  falling  in  with  a  sail." 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  Jack,  gloomily  ;  "  boat  or  no  boat,  't  will 
make  no  great  matter  of  difference  now.  There's  cus 
tomers  that  '11  be  sartain  to  take  all  the  grists  you  can  send 
to  their  mill." 

"What  things  are  those  glancing  about  the  vessel?" 
cried  Rose,  almost  in  the  same  breath  ;  "  those  dark,  sharp- 
looking  sticks — see,  there  are  five  or  six  of  them  !  and  they 
move  as  if  fastened  to  something  under  the  water  that  pulls 
them  about." 

"Them's  the  customers  I  mean,  Miss  Rose,"  answered 
Jack,  in  the  same  strain  as  that  in  which  he  had  first 
spoken ;  "  they  're  the  same  thing  at  sea  as  lawyers  be 
ashore,  and  seem  made  to  live  on  other  folks.  Them 's 
sharks." 

"And  yonder  is  truly  the  boat !"  added  Mulford,  with  a 
sigh  that  almost  amounted  to  a  groan.  The  light  had,  by 
this  time,  so  far  returned  as  to  enable  the  party  not  only 
to  see  the  fins  of  half  a  dozen  sharks,  which  were  already 
prowling  about  the  wreck,  the  almost  necessary  consequence 
of  their  proximity  to  a  reef  in  that  latitude,  but  actually  to 
discern  the  boat  drifting  down  toward  them,  at  a  distance 
that  promised  to  carry  it  past,  within  the  reach  of  Mulford's 
powers  of  swimming,  though  not  as  near  as  he  could  have 
19* 


222  JACK    TIER; 

wished,  even  under  more  favourable  circumstances.  Had 
their  extremity  been  greater,  or  had  Rose  begun  to  suffer 
from  hunger  or  thirst,  Mulford  might  have  attempted  the 
experiment  of  endeavoring  to  regain  the  boat,  though  the 
chances  of  death  by  means  of  the  sharks  would  be  more 
than  equal  to  those  of  escape;  but  still  fresh,  and  not  yet 
feeling  even  the  heat  of  the  sun  of  that  low  latitude,  he  was 
not  quite  goaded  into  such  an  act  of  desperation.  All  that 
remained  for  the  party,  therefore,  was  to  sit  on  the  keel  of 
the  wreck,  and  gaze  with  longing  eyes  at  a  little  object 
floating  past,  which,  once  at  their  command,  might  so 
readily  be  made  to  save  them  from  a  fate  that  already  began 
to  appear  terrible  in  the  perspective.  Near  an  hour  was 
thus  consumed,  ere  the  boat  was  about  half  a  mile  to  lee 
ward  ;  during  which  scarcely  an  eye  was  turned  from  it  for 
one  instant,  or  a  word  was  spoken. 

"It  is  beyond  my  reach  now,"  Mulford  at  length  ex 
claimed,  sighing  heavily,  like  one  who  became  conscious 
of  some  great  and  irretrievable  loss.  "  Were  there  no 
sharks,  I  could  hardly  venture  to  attempt  swimming  so  far, 
with  the  boat  drifting  from  me  at  the  same  time." 

"  I  should  never  consent  to  let  you  make  the  trial,  Harry," 
murmured  Rose,  "  though  it  were  only  half  as  far." 

Another  pause  succeeded. 

"  We  have  now  the  light  of  day,"  resumed  the  mate,  a 
minute  or  two  later,  "  and  may  see  our  true  situation.  No 
sail  is  in  sight,  and  the  wind  stands  steadily  in  its  old  quar 
ter.  Still  I  do  not  think  we  leave  the  reef.  There,  you 
may  see  breakers  off  here  at  the  southward,  and  it  seems  as 
if  more  rocks  rise  above  the  sea,  in  that  direction.  I  do 
not  know  that  our  situation  would  be  any  the  better,  how 
ever,  were  we  actually  on  them,  instead  of  being  on  this 
floating  wreck." 

"The  rocks  will  never  sink,"  said  Jack  Tier,  with  so 
much  emphasis  as  to  startle  the  listeners. 

"  I  do  not  think  this  hull  will  sink  until  we  are  taken 
off  it,  or  are  beyond  caring  whether  it  sink  or  swim,"  re 
turned  Mulford. 

"  I  do  not  know  that,  Mr.  Mulford.  Nothing  keeps  us 
up  but  the  air  in  the  hold,  you  say." 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  223 

"Certainly  not;  but  that  air  will  suffice  as  long  as  it 
remains  there." 

"And  what  do  you  call  these  things  ?"  rejoined  the  as 
sistant  steward,  pointing  at  the  water  near  him,  in  or  on 
which  no  one  else  saw  anything  worthy  of  attention. 

Mulford,  however,  was  not  satisfied  with  a  cursory  glance, 
but  went  nearer  to  the  spot  where  Tier  was  standing. 
Then,  indeed,  he  saw  to  what  the  steward  alluded,  and  was 
impressed  by  it,  though  he  said  nothing.  Hundreds  of 
little  bubbles  rose  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  much  as  one 
sees  them  rising  in  springs.  These  bubbles  are  often  met 
with  in  lakes  and  other  comparatively  shallow  waters,  but 
they  are  rarely  seen  in  those  of  the  ocean.  The  mate  un 
derstood,  at  a  glance,  that  those  he  now  beheld  were  pro 
duced  by  the  air  which  escaped  from  the  hold  of  the  wreck ; 
in  small  quantities  at  a  time,  it  was  true,  but  by  a  constant 
and  increasing  process.  The  great  pressure  of  the  water 
forced  this  air  through  crevices  so  minute  that,  under  ordi 
nary  circumstances,  they  would  have  proved  impenetrable 
to  this,  as  they  were  still  to  the  other  fluid,  though  they 
now  permitted  the  passage  of  the  former.  It  might  take  a 
long  time  to  force  the  air  from  the  interior  of  the  vessel  by 
such  means,  but  the  result  was  as  certain  as  it  might  be 
slow.  As  constant  dropping  will  wear  a  stone,  so  might 
the  power  that  kept  the  wreck  afloat  be  exhausted  by  the 
ceaseless  rising  of  these  minute  air-bubbles. 

Although  Mulford  was  entirely  sensible  of  the  nature  of 
this  new  source  of  danger,  we  cannot  say  he  was  much 
affected  by  it  at  the  moment.  It  seemed  to  him  far  more 
probable  that  they  must  die  of  exhaustion,  long  before  the 
wreck  would  lose  all  of  its  buoyancy  by  this  slow  process, 
than  that  even  the  strongest  of  their  number  could  survive 
for  such  a  period.  The  new  danger,  therefore,  lost  most 
of  its  terrors  under  this  view  of  the  subject,  though  it  cer 
tainly  did  not  add  to  the  small  sense  of  security  that 
remained,  to  know  that  inevitably  their  fate  must  be  sealed 
through  its  agency,  should  they  be  able  to  hold  out  for  a 
sufficient  time  against  hunger  and  thirst.  It  caused  Mul 
ford  to  muse  in  silence  for  many  more  minutes. 

"  I  hope  we  are  not  altogether  without  food,"  the  mate 
at  length  said.  "  It  sometimes  happens  that  persons  at  sea 


224  JACK   TIER; 

carry  pieces  of  biscuit  in  their  pockets,  especially  those 
who  keep  watch  at  night.  The  smallest  morsel  is  now  of 
the  last  importance." 

At  this  suggestion,  every  one  set  about  an  examination. 
The  result  was,  that  neither  Mrs.  Budd  nor  Rose  had  a 
particle  of  food,  of  any  sort,  about  their  persons.  Biddy 
produced  from  her  pockets,  however,  a  whole  biscuit,  a 
large  bunch  of  excellent  raisins  that  she  had  niched  from 
the  steward's  stores,  and  two  apples,  —  the  last  being  the 
remains  of  some  fruit  that  Spike  had  procured  a  month 
earlier  in  New  York.  Mulford  had  half  a  biscuit,  at  which 
he  had  been  accustomed  to  nibble  in  his  watches ;  and 
Jack  lugged  out,  along  with  a  small  plug  of  tobacco,  a 
couple  of  sweet  oranges.  Here,  then,  was  everything  in 
the  shape  of  victuals  or  drink,  that  could  be  found  for  the 
use  of  five  persons,  in  all  probability  for  many  days.  The 
importance  of  securing  it  for  equal  distribution,  was  so 
obvious,  that  Mulford's  proposal  to  do  so  met  with  a  com 
mon  assent.  The  whole  was  put  in  Mrs.  Budd's  bag,  and 
she  was  intrusted  with  the  keeping  of  this  precious  store. 

"  It  may  be  harder  to  abstain  from  food  at  first,  when 
we  have  not  suffered  from  its  want,  than  it  will  become 
after  a  little  endurance,"  said  the  mate.  "  We  are  now 
strong,  and  it  will  be  wiser  to  fast  as  long  as  we  conve 
niently  can,  to-day,  and  relieve  our  hunger  by  a  moderate 
allowance  toward  evening,  than  to  waste  our  means  by  too 
much  indulgence  at  a  time  when  we  are  strong.  Weak 
ness  will  be  sure  to  come  if  we  remain  long  on  the  wreck." 

"  Have  you  ever  suffered  in  this  way,  Harry?"  demanded 
Rose,  with  interest. 

"  I  have,  and  that  dreadfully.  But  a  merciful  Providence 
came  to  my  rescue  then,  and  it  may  not  fail  me  now.  The 
seaman  is  accustomed  to  carry  his  life  in  his  hand,  and  to 
live  on  the  edge  of  eternity." 

The  truth  of  this  was  so  apparent  as  to  produce  a  thought 
ful  silence.  Anxious  glances  were  cast  around  the  horizon 
from  time  to  time,  in  quest  of  any  sail  that  might  come  in 
sight,  but  uselessly.  None  appeared,  and  the  day  advanced 
without  bringing  the  slightest  prospect  of  relief.  Mulford 
could  see,  by  the  now  almost  sunken  hummocks,  that  they 
were  slowly  drifting  along  the  reef,  toward  the  southward 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  225 

and  eastward,  a  current  no  doubt  acting  slightly  from  the 
north-west.  Their  proximity  to  the  reef,  however,  was  of 
no  advantage,  as  the  distance  was  still  so  great  as  to  render 
any  attempt  to  reach  it,  even  on  the  part  of  the  mate,  un 
available.  Nor  would  he  have  been  any  better  off  could 
he  have  gained  a  spot  on  the  rocks  that  was  shallow  enough 
to  admit  of  his  walking,  since  wading  about  in  such  a  place 
would  have  been  less  desirable  than  to  be  floating  where 
he  was. 

The  want  of  water  to  drink  threatened  to  be  the  great 
evil.  Of  this,  the  party  on  the  wreck  had  not  a  single 
drop  !  As  the  warmth  of  the  day  was  added  to  the  feverish 
feeling  produced  by  excitement,  they  all  experienced  thirst, 
though  no  one  murmured.  So  utterly  without  means  of 
relieving  this  necessity  did  each  person  know  them  all  to 
be,  that  no  one  spoke  on  the  subject  at  all.  In  fact,  ship 
wreck  never  produced  a  more  complete  destitution  of  all 
the  ordinary  agents  of  helping  themselves,  in  any  form  or 
manner-,  than  was  the  case  here/  So  sudden  and  complete 
had  been  the  disaster,  that  not  a  single  article,  beyond  those 
on  the  persons  of  the  sufferers,  came  even  in  view.  The 
masts,  sails,  rigging,  spare  spars,  in  a  word,  everything 
belonging  to  the  vessel  was  submerged  and  hidden  from 
their  sight,  with  the  exception  of  a  portion  of  the  vessel's 
bottom,  which  might  be  forty  feet  in  length,  and  some  ten 
or  fifteen  in  width,  including  that  which  was  above  water 
on  both  sides  of  the  keel,  though  one  only  of  these  sides 
was  available  to  the  females,  as  a  place  to  move  about  on. 
Had  Mulford  only  a  boat-hook,  he  would  have  felt  it  a  re 
lief;  for  not  only  did  the  sharks  increase  in  number,  but 
they  grew  more  audacious,  swimming  so  near  the  wreck 
that,  more  than  once,  Mulford  apprehended  that  some  one 
of  the  boldest  of  them  might  make  an  effort  literally  to 
board  them.  It  is  true,  he  had  never  known  of  one  of  these 
fishes  attempting  to  quit  his  own  element  in  pursuit  of  his 
prey;  but  such  things  were  reported,  and  those  around  the 
wreck  swam  so  close,  and  seemed  so  eager  to  get  at  those 
who  were  on  it,  that  there  really  might  be  some  excuse  for 
fancying  they  might  resort  to  unusual  means  of  effecting 
their  object.  It  is  probable  that,  like  all  other  animals, 
they  were  emboldened  by  their  own  numbers,  and  were 


226  JACK  TIER; 

acting  in  a  sort  of  concert,  that  was  governed  by  some  of 
the  many  mysterious  laws  of  nature  that  have  still  escaped 
human  observation. 

Thus  passed  the  earlier  hours  of  that  appalling  day. 
Toward  noon,  Mulford  had  insisted  on  the  females  dividing 
one  of  the  oranges  between  them,  and  extracting  its  juice 
by  way  of  assuaging  their  thirst.  The  effect  was  most 
grateful,  as  all  admitted,  and  even  Mrs.  Budd  urged  Harry 
and  Tier  to  take  a  portion  of  the  remaining  orange ;  but 
this  both  steadily  refused.  Mulford  did  consent  to  receive 
a  small  portion  of  one  of  the  apples,  more  with  a  view  of 
moistening  his  throat  than  to  appease  his  hunger,  though 
it  had,  in  a  slight  degree,  the  laher  effect  also.  As  for 
Jack  Tier,  he  declined  even  the  morsel  of  apple,  saying 
that  tobacco  answered  his  purpose,  as  indeed  it  temporarily 
might. 

It  was  near  sunset,  when  the  steward's  assistant  called 
Mulford  aside,  and  whispered  to  him  that  he  had  something 
private  to  communicate.  The  mate  bade  him  say  on,  as 
they  were  out  of  ear-shot  of  their  companions. 

"  I  've  been  in  sitiations  like  this  afore,"  said  Jack,  "  and 
one  Tarns  exper'ence  by  exper'ence.  I  know  how  cruel  it 
is  on  the  feelin's  to  have  the  hopes  disapp'inted  in  these 
cases,  and  therefore  shall  proceed  with  caution.  But,  Mr. 
Mulford,  there's  a  sail  in  sight,  if  there  is  a  drop  of  water 
in  the  Gulf!" 

"A  sail,  Jack  !    I  trust  in  Heaven  you  are  not  deceived  !" 

"  Old  eyes  are  true  eyes  in  such  matters,  sir.  Be  care 
ful  not  to  start  the  women.  They  go  off  like  gunpowder, 
and,  Lord  help  'em!  have  no  more  command  over  them 
selves,  when  you  loosen  'em  once,  than  so  many  flying-fish 
with  a  dozen  dolphins  a'ter  them.  Look  hereaway,  sir, 
just  clear  of  the  Irishwoman's  bonnet,  a  little  broad  off  the 
spot  where  the  reef  was  last  seen  —  if  that  an't  a  sail,  my 
name  is  not  Jack  Tier." 

A  sail  there  was,  sure  enough !  It  was  so  very  distant, 
however,  as  to  render  its  character  still  uncertain,  though 
Mulford  fancied  it  was  a  square-rigged  vessel  heading  to 
the  northward.  By  its  position,  it  must  be  in  one  of  the 
channels  of  the  reef,  and  by  its  course,  if  he  were  not  de» 
ceived,  it  was  standing  through,  from  the  main  passage 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  227 

along  the  southern  side  of  the  rocks,  to  come  out  on  the 
northern.  All  this  was  favourable,  and  at  first  the  young 
mate  felt  such  a  throbbing  of  the  heart  as  we  all  experience 
when  great -arid  unexpected  good  intelligence  is  received. 
A  moment's  reflection,  however,  made  him  aware  how  little 
was  to  be  hoped  for  from  this  vessel.  In  the  first  place, 
her  distance  was  so  great  as  to  render  it  uncertain  even 
which  way  she  was  steering.  Then,  there  was  the  proba 
bility  that  she  would  pass  at  so  great  a  distance  as  to  render 
it  impossible  to  perceive  an  object  as  low  as  the  wreck,  and 
the  additional  chance  of  her  passing  in  the  night.  Under 
all  the  circumstances,  therefore,  Mulford  felt  convinced 
that  there  was  very  little  probability  of  their  receiving  any 
succour  from  the  strange  sail ;  and  he  fully  appreciated  Jack 
Tier's  motive  in  forbearing  to  give  the  usual  call  of  "  Sail, 
ho!"  when  he  made  this  discovery.  Still,  he  could  not 
deny  himself  the  pleasure  of  communicating  to  Rose  the 
cheering  fact  that  a  vessel  was  actually  in  sight.  She 
could  not  reason  on  the  circumstances  as  he  had  done,  and 
might  at  least  pass  several  hours  of  comparative  happiness 
by  believing  that  there  was  some  visible  chance  of  delivery. 

The  females  received  the  intelligence  with  very  different 
degrees  of  hope.  Rose  was  delighted.  To  her  their  rescue 
appeared  an  event  so  very  probable  now,  that  Harry  Mul 
ford  almost  regretted  he  had  given  rise  to  an  expectation 
which  he  himself  feared  was  to  be  disappointed.  The  feel 
ings  of  Mrs.  Budd  were  more  suppressed.  The  wreck  and 
her  present  situation  were  so  completely  at  variance  with 
all  her  former  notions  of  the  sea  and  its  incidents,  that  she 
was  almost  dumb-founded,  and  feared  either  to  speak  or  to 
think.  Biddy  differed  from  either  of  her  mistresses  —  the 
young  or  the  old  ;  she  appeared  to  have  lost  all  hope,  and 
her  physical  energy  was  fast  giving  way  under  her  profound 
moral  debility. 

From  the  return  of  light  that  day,  Mulford  had  thought, 
if  it  were  to  prove  that  Providence  had  withdrawn  its  pro 
tecting  hand  from  them,  Biddy,  who  to  all  appearance 
ought  to  be  the  longest  liver  among  the  females  at  least, 
would  be  the  first  to  sink  under  her  sufferings.  Such  is 
the  influence  of  moral  causes  on  the  mere  animal. 

Rose  saw  the  night  shut  in  around  them,  amid  the  solemn 


228 


JACK  TI  ER; 


solitude  of  the  ocean,  with  a  mingled  sensation  of  awe  and 
hope.  She  had  prayed  devoutly,  and  often,  in  the  course 
of  the  preceding  day,  and  her  devotions  had  contributed  to 
calm  her  spirits.  Once  or  twice,  while  kneeling  with  her 
head  bowed  to  the  keel,  she  had  raised  her  eyes  toward 
Harry  with  a  look  of  entreaty,  as  if  she  would  implore  him 
to  humble  his  proud  spirit  and  place  himself  at  her  side, 
and  ask  that  succour  from  God  which  was  so  much  needed, 
and  which  indeed  it  began  most  seriously  to  appear  that 
God  alone  could  yield.  The  young  mate  did  not  comply, 
for  his  pride  of  profession  and  of  manhood  offered  them 
selves  as  stumbling-blocks  to  prevent  submission  to  his 
secret  wishes.  Though  he  rarely  prayed,  Harry  Mulford 
was  far  from  being  an  unbeliever,  or  one  altogether  regard 
less  of  his  duties  and  obligations  to  his  Divine  Creator. 
On  the  contrary,  his  heart  was  more  disposed  to  resort  to 
such  means  of  self-abasement  and  submission,  than  he  put 
in  practice,  and  this  because  he  had  been  taught  to  believe 
that  the  Anglo-Saxon  mariner  did  not  call  on  Hercules,  on 
every  occasion  of  difficulty  and  distress  that  occurred, 
as  was  the  fashion  with  the  Italian  and  Romish  seamen, 
but  he  put  his  own  shoulder  to  the  wheel,  confident  that 
Hercules  would  not  forget  to  help  him  who  knew  how  to 
help  himself.  But  Harry  had  great  difficulty  in  withstand 
ing  Rose's  silent  appeal  that  evening,  as  she  knelt  at  the 
keel  for  the  last  time,  and  turned  her  gentle  eyes  upward 
at  him,  as  if  to  ask  him  once  more  to  take  his  place  at  her 
side.  Withstand  the  appeal  he  did,  however,  though  in  his 
inward  spirit  he  prayed  fervently  to  God  to  put  away  this 
dreadful  affliction  from  the  young  and  innocent  creature 
before  him.  When  these  evening  devotions  were  ended, 
the  whole  party  became  thoughtful  and  silent. 

It  was  necessary  to  sleep,  and  arrangements  were  made 
to  do  so,  if  possible,  with  a  proper  regard  for  their  security. 
Mulford  and  Tier  were  to  have  the  look-out,  watch  and 
watch.  This  was  done  that  no  vessel  might  pass  near  them 
unseen,  and  that  any  change  in  the  weather  might  be  noted 
and  looked  to.  As  it  was,  the  wind  had  fallen,  and  seemed 
about  to  vary,  though  it  yet  stood  in  its  old  quarter,  or  a 
little  more  easterly,  perhaps.  As  a  consequence,  the  drift 
of  the  wreck,  insomuch  as  it  depended  on  the  currents  of 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  229 

the  air,  was  more  nearly  in  a  line  with  the  direction  of  the 
reef,  and  there  was  Httle  ground  for  apprehending  that  they 
might  be  driven  further  from  it  in  the  night.  Although 
that  reef  offered  in  reality  no  place  of  safety,  that  was 
available  to  his  party,  Mulford  felt  it  as  a  sort  of  relief,  to 
be  certain  that  it  was  not  distant,  possibly  influenced  by  a 
vague  hope  that  some  passing  wrecker  or  turtler  might  yet 
pick  them  up. 

The  bottom  of  the  schooner  and  the  destitute  condition  of 
the  party  admitted  of  only  very  simple  arrangements  for  the 
night.  The  females  placed  themselves  against  the  keel  in 
the  best  manner  they  could,  and  thus  endeavoured  to  get  a 
little  of  the  rest  they  so  much  needed.  The  day  had  been 
warm,  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  the  contrast  produced  by 
the  setting  of  the  sun  was  at  first  rather  agreeable  than 
otherwise.  Luckily  Rose  had  thrown  a  shawl  over  her 
shoulders,  not  long  before  the  vessel  capsized,  and  in  this 
shawl  she  had  been  saved.  It  had  been  dried,  and  it  now 
served  for  a  light  covering  to  herself  and  her  aunt,  and  added 
essentially  to  their  comfort.  As  for  Biddy,  she  was  too  hardy 
to  need  a  shawl,  and  she  protested  that  she  should  not  think 
of  using  one,  had  she  been  better  provided.  The  patient, 
meek  manner  in  which  that  humble,  but  generous-hearted 
creature  submitted  to  her  fate,  and  the  earnestness  with  which 
she  had  begged  that  "  Miss  Rosy"  might  have  her  morsel 
of  the  portion  of  biscuit  each  received  for  a  supper,  had  sen 
sibly  impressed  Mulford  in  her  favour;  and  knowing  how  much 
more  necessary  food  was  to  sustain  one  of  her  robust  frame 
and  sturdy  habits,  than  to  Rose,  he  had  contrived  to  give 
the  woman,  unknown  to  herself,  a  double  allowance.  Nor 
was  it  surprising  that  Biddy  did  not  detect  this  little  act  of 
fraud  in  her  favour,  for  this  double  allowance  was  merely  a 
single  mouthful.  The  want  of  water  had  made  itself  much 
more  keenly  felt  than  the  want  of  food,  for  as  yet  anxiety, 
excitement  and  apprehension  prevented  the  appetite  from 
being  much  awakened,  while  the  claims  of  thirst  were  in 
creased  rather  than  the  reverse,  by  these  very  causes.  Still, 
no  one  had  complained,  on  this  or  any  other  account,  through 
out  the  whole  of  the  long  and  weary  day  which  had  passed. 

Mulford  took  the  first  look-out,  with  the  intention  of  catch 
ing  a  little  sleep,  if  possible,  during  the  middle  hours  of  the 
I.  —  20 


S30  JACK  TIER; 

night,  and  of  returning  to  his  duty  as  morning  approached. 
For  the  first  hour  nothing  occurred  to  divert  his  attention 
from  brooding  on  the  melancholy  circumstances  of  their 
situation.  It  seemed  as  if  all  around  him  had  actually  lost 
the  sense  of  their  cares  in  sleep,  and  no  sound  was  audible 
amid  that  ocean  waste,  but  the  light  washing  of  the  water, 
as  the  gentle  waves  rolled  at  intervals  against  the  weather 
side  of  the  wreck.  It  was  now  that  Mulford  found  a  mo 
ment  for  prayer,  and  seated  on  the  keel,  that  he  called  on 
the  Divine  aid,  in  a  fervent  but  silent  petition  to  God,  to  put 
away  this  trial  from  the  youthful  and  beautiful  Rose,  at  least, 
though  he  himself  perished.  It  was  the  first  prayer  that 
Mulford  had  made  in  many  months,  or  since  he  had  joined 
the  Swash — a  craft  in  which  that  duty  was  very  seldom 
thought  of. 

A  few  minutes  succeeded  this  petition,  when  Biddy  spoke. 
"  Missus — Madam  Budd — dear  Missus" — half  whispered 
the  Irish  woman,  anxious  not  to  disturb  Rose,  who  lay  fur 
thest  from  her — "  Missus,  bees  ye  asleep  at  sich  a  time  as 
this?" 

"  No,  Biddy;  sleep  and  I  are  strangers  to  each  other,  and 
are  likely  to  be  till  morning.     What  do  you  wish  to  say?" 
"  Anything  is  betlher  than  my  own  t'oughts,  missus  dear, 
and  I  wants  to  talk  to  ye.     Is  it  no  wather  at  all  they  '11 
give  us  so  long  as  we  stay  in  this  place?" 

"  There  is  no  one  to  give  it  to  us  but  God,  poor  Biddy, 
and  he  alone  can  say  what,  in  his  gracious  mercy,  it  may 
please  him  to  do.  Ah !  Biddy,  I  fear  me  that  I  did  an  un 
wise  and  thoughtless  thing,  to  bring  my  poor  Rose  to  such 
a  place  as  this.  Were  it  to  be  done  over  again,  the  riches 
of  Wall  Street  would  not  tempt  me  to  be  guilty  of  so  wrong 
a  thing !" 

The  arm  of  Rose  was  thrown  around  her  aunt's  neck, 
and  its  gentle  pressure  announced  how  completely  the  offend 
er  was  forgiven. 

"  I 's  very  sorry  for  Miss  Rose,"  rejoined  Biddy  "  and  I 
suffers  so  much  the  more  meself  in  thinking  how  hard  it 
must  be  for  the  like  of  her  to  be  wantin'  in  a  swallow  of 
fresh  wather." 

"  It  is  no  harder  for  me  to  bear  it,  poor  Biddy,"  answered 
the  gentle  voice  of  our  heroine,  "  than  it  is  for  yourself." 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  231 

"Is  it  meself  then?  Sure  am  I,  that  if  I  had  a  quar-r-t 
of  good,  swate  vvathcr  from  our  own  pump,  and  that's  far 
betther  is  it  than  the  Crothon  the  best  day  the  Crothon  ever 
seed — but  had  I  a  quar-r-t  of  it,  every  dhrap  would  I  give 
to  you,  Miss  Rose,  to  app'ase  your  thirst,  I  would." 

"  Water  would  be  a  great  relief  to  us  all,  just  now,  my 
excellent  Biddy,"  answered  Rose,  "  and  I  wish  we  had  but 
a  tumbler  full  of  that  you  name,  to  divide  equally  among 
the  whole  five  of  us." 

"  Is  it  divide?  Then  it  would  be  ag'in  dividin' that  my 
voice  would  be  raised,  for  that  same  ra'son  that  the  tumbler 
•would  never  hold  as  much  as  you  could  dhrink  yourself, 
Miss  Rose." 

"  Yet  the  tumbler  full  would  be  a  great  blessing  for  us  all, 
just  now,"  murmured  Mrs.  Budd. 

"  And  is  n't  mutthon  good  'atin',  ladies  !  Och  !  if  I  had 
but  a  good  swate  pratie,  now,  from  my  own  native  Ireland, 
and  a  dhrap  of  milk  to  help  wash  it  down!  It's  mighty 
little  that  a  body  thinks  of  sich  thrifles  when  there's  abun 
dance  of  them ;  but  when  there  's  none  at  all,  they  get  to  be 
stronger  in  the  mind  than  riches  and  honours." 

"  You  say  the  truth,  Biddy,"  rejoined  the  mistress,  "  and 
there  is  a  pleasure  in  talking  of  them,  if  one  can't  enjoy 
them.  I've  been  thinking  all  the  afternoon,  Rose,  what  a 
delicious  food  is  a  good  roast  turkey,  with  cranberry  sauce; 
and  I  wonder,  now,  that  I  have  not  been  more  grateful  for  the 
very  many  that  Providence  has  bestowed  on  me  in  my  time. 
My  poor  Mr.  Budd  was  passionately  fond  of  mutton,  and  I 
used  wickedly  to  laugh  at  his  fondness  for  it,  sometimes, 
when  he  always  had  his  answer  ready,  and  that  was  that 
there  are  no  sheep  at  sea.  How  true  that  is,  Rosy  dear ! 
there  are  indeed  no  sheep  at  sea !" 

"  No,  aunty,"  answered  Rose's  gentle  voice  from  beneath 
the  shawl ; — "  there  are  no  such  animals  on  the  ocean,  but 
God  is  with  us  here  as  much  as  he  would  be  in  New  York." 

A  long  silence  succeeded  this  simple  remark  of  his  well 
beloved,  and  the  young  mate  hoped  that  there  would  be  no 
more  of  a  dialogue,  every  syllable  of  which  was  a  dagger  to 
his  feelings.  But  nature  was  stronger  than  reflection  in 
Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy,  and  the  latter  spoke  again,  after  a 
pause  of  near  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 


232  JACK   TIER; 

tc  Pray  for  me,  Missus,"  she  said,  meaningly,  "  that  I 
may  sleep.  A  bit  of  sleep  would  do  a  body  almost  as  much 
good  as  a  bit  of  bread — I  won't  say  as  much  as  a  dhrap  of 
wather." 

"  Be  quiet,  Biddy,  and  we  will  pray  for  you,"  answered 
Rose,  who  fancied  by  her  breathing  that  her  aunt  was  about 
to  forget  her  sufferings  for  a  brief  space,  in  broken  slumbers. 

"  Is  it  for  you  I  '11  do  that — and  sure  will  I,  Miss  Rose. 
Niver  would  I  have  quitted  Ireland,  could  I  have  thought 
there  was  sich  a  spot  on  this  earth  as  a  place  where  no 
wather  was  to  be  had." 

This  was  the  last  of  Biddy's  audible  complaints,  for  the 
remainder  of  this  long  and  anxious  watch  of  Mulford.  He 
then  set  himself  about  an  arrangement  which  shall  be  men 
tioned  in  its  proper  place.  At  twelve  o'clock,  or  when  he 
thought  it  was  twelve,  he  called  Jack  Tier,  who  in  turn 
called  the  mate  again  at  four. 

"  It  looks  dark  and  threatening,"  said  Mulford,  as  he  rose 
to  his  feet  and  began  to  look  about  him  once  more,  "  though 
there  does  not  appear  to  be  any  wind." 

"It's  a  flat  calm,  Mr.  Mate,  and  the  darkness  comes 
from  yonder  cloud,  which  seems  likely  to  bring  a  little  rain." 

"  Rain !  Then  God  is  indeed  with  us  here.  You  are 
right,  Jack ;  rain  must  fall  from  that  cloud.  We  must  catch 
some  of  it,  if  it  be  only  a  drop  to  cool  Rose's  parched 
tongue." 

"In  what?"  answered  Tier,  gloomily.  "She  may  wring 
her  clothes  when  the  shower  is  over,  and  in  that  way  get  a 
drop.  I  see  no  other  method." 

"  I  have  bethought  me  of  all  that,  and  passed  most  of  my 
watch  in  making  the  preparations." 

Mulford  then  showed  Tier  what  he  had  been  about,  in 
the  long  and  solitary  hours  of  the  first  watch.  It  would 
seem  that  »the  young  man  had  dug  a  little  trench  with  his 
knife,  along  the  schooner's  bottom,  commencing  two  or 
three  feet  from  the  keel,  arid  near  the  spot  where  Rose  was 
lying,  and  carrying  it  as  fur  as  was  convenient  toward  the 
run,  until  he  reached  a  point  where  he  had  dug  out  a  sort 
of  reservoir  to  contain  the  precious  fluid,  should  any  be  sent 
them  by  Providence.  While  doing  this,  there  were  no  signs 
of  rain ;  but  the  young  man  knew  that  a  shower  alone  could 


OK,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  233 

save  them  from  insanity,  if  not  from  death;  and  in  specula 
ting  on  the  means  of  profiting  by  one,  should  it  come,  he 
had  bethought  him  of  this  expedient.  The  large  knife  of 
a  seaman  had  served  him  a  good  turn,  in  carrying  on  his 
work,  to  complete  which  there  remained  now  very  little  to 
do,  and  that  was  in  enlarging  the  receptacle  for  the  water. 
The  hole  was  already  big  enough  to  contain  a  pint,  and  it 
might  easily  be  sufficiently  enlarged  to  hold  double  that 
.quantity. 

Jack  was  no  sooner  made  acquainted  with  what  had  been 
done,  than  he  out  knife  and  commenced  tearing  splinter 
after  splinter  from  the  planks,  to  help  enlarge  the  reservoir. 
This  could  only  be  done  by  cutting  on  the  surface,  for  the 
wood  was  not  three  inches  in  thickness,  and  the  smallest 
hole  through  the  plank,  would  have  led  to  the  rapid  escape 
of  the  air  and  to  the  certain  sinking  of  the  wreck.  It  re 
quired  a  good  deal  of  judgment  to  preserve  the  necessary 
level  also,  and  Mulford  was  obliged  to  interfere  more  than 
once  to  prevent  his  companion  from  doing  more  harm  than 
good.  He  succeeded,  however,  and  had  actually  made  a 
cavity  that  might  contain  more  than  a  quart  of  water,  when 
the  first  large  drop  fell  from  the  heavens.  This  cavity  was 
not  a  hole,  but  a  long,  deep  trench — deep  for  the  circum 
stances — so  nicely  cut  on  the  proper  level,  as  to  admit  of 
its  holding  a  fluid  in  the  quantity  mentioned. 

"Rose  —  dearest  —  rise,  and  be  ready  to  drink,"  said 
Mulford,  tenderly  disturbing  the  uneasy  slumbers  of  his 
beloved.  "  It  is  about  to  rain,  and  God  is  with  us  here,  as 
he  might  be  on  the  land." 

"  Wather !"  exclaimed  Biddy,  who  was  awoke  with  the 
same  call.  "  What  a  blessed  thing  is  good  swate  wather, 
and  sure  am  I  we  ought  all  to  be  thankful  that  there  is  such 
a  precious  gift  in  the  wor-r-ld." 

"  Come,  then,"  said  Mulford,  hurriedly,"  it  will  soon  rain 
—I  hear  it  pattering  on  the  sea.  Come  hither,  all  of  you, 
find  drink,  as  a  merciful  God  furnishes  the  means." 

This  summons  was  not  likely  to  be  neglected.  All  arose 
in  haste,  and  the  word  "  water"  was  murmured  from  every 
lip.  Biddy  had  less  self-command  than  the  others,  and  she 
was  heard  saying  aloud, — "  Och  !  and  did  n't  1  dhrame  of 
the  blessed  springs  and  wells  of  Ireland  the  night,  and 
20* 


J 


234  JACK   TIER; 

have  n't  I  dhrunk  at  'em  all  ?  but  now  it 's  over,  and  I  am 
awake,  no  good  has't  done  me,  and  I'm  ready  to  die  for 
one  dhrap  of  wather." 

That  drop  soon  came,  however,  and  with  it  the  blessed 
relief  which  such  a  boon  bestows.  Mulford  had  barely  time 
to  explain  his  arrangements,  and  to  place  the  party  on  their 
knees,  along  his  little  reservoir  and  the  gutter  which  led  to 
it,  when  the  pattering  of  the  rain  advanced  along  the  sea, 
with  a  deep  rushing  sound.  Presently,  the  uplifted  faces 
and  open  mouths  caught  a  few  heavy  straggling  drops,  to 
cool  the  parched  tongues,  when  the  water  came  tumbling 
down  upon  them  in  a  thousand  little  streams.  There  was 
scarcely  any  wind,  and  merely  the  skirt  of  a  large  black 
cloud  floated  over  the  wreck,  on  which  the  rain  fell  barely 
one  minute.  But  it  fell  as  rain  comes  down  within  the 
tropics,  and  in  sufficient  quantities  for  all  present  purposes. 
Everybody  drank,  and  found  relief,  and,  when  all  was  over, 
Mulford  ascertained  by  examination  that  his  receptacle  for 
the  fluid  was  still  full  to  overflowing.  The  abstinence  had 
not  been  of  sufficient  length,  nor  the  quantity  taken  of  large 
enough  amount,  to  produce  injury,  though  the  thirst  was 
generally  and  temporarily  appeased.  It  is  probable  that  the 
coolness  of  the  hour,  day  dawning  as  the  cloud  moved  past, 
and  the  circumstance  that  the  sufferers  were  wetted  to  their 
skins,  contributed  to  the  change. 

"  Oh,  blessed,  blessed  wather  !"  exclaimed  Biddy,  as  she 
rose  from  her  knees  ;  "  America,  afther  all,  isn't  as  dhry 
a  country  as  some  say.  I  've  niver  tasted  swater  wather  in 
Ireland  itself!" 

Rose  murmured  her  thanksgiving  in  more  appropriate 
language.  A  few  exclamations  also  escaped  Mrs.  Budd, 
and  Jack  Tier  had  his  sententious  eulogy  on  the  precious 
qualities  of  sweet  water. 

The  wind  rose  as  the  day  advanced,  and  a  swell  began 
to  heave  the  wreck  with  a  power  that  had  hitherto  been 
dormant.  Mulford  understood  this  to  be  a  sign  that  there 
had  been  a  blow  at  some  distance  from  them,  that  had 
thrown  the  sea  into  a  state  of  agitation,  which  extended 
itself  beyond  the  influence  of  the  wind.  Eagerly  did  the 
young  mate  examine  the  horizon,  as  the  curtain  of  night 
arose,  inch  by  inch,  as  it  might  be,  on  the  watery  pano- 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  235 

rama,  in  the  hope  that  a  vessel  of  some  sort  or  other  might 
be  brought  within  the  view.  Nor  was  he  wholly  disap 
pointed.  The  strange  sail  seen  the  previous  evening  was 
actually  there;  and  what  was  more,  so  near  as  to  allow  her 
hull  to  be  distinctly  visible.  It  was  a  ship,  under  her  square 
canvas,  standing  from  between  divided  portions  of  the  reef, 
as  if  getting  to  the  northward,  in  order  to  avoid  the  oppos 
ing  current  of  the  Gulf  Stream.  Vessels  bound  to  Mobile, 
New  Orleans,  and  other  ports  along  the  coast  of  the  Re 
public,  in  that  quarter  of  the  ocean,  often  did  this;  and 
when  the  young  mate  first  caught  glimpses  of  the  shadowy 
outline  of  this  ship,  he  supposed  it  to  be  some  packet,  or 
cotton- drosrer,  standing  for  her  port  on  the  northern  shore. 
But  a  few  minutes  removed  the  veil,  and  with  it  the  error 
of  this  notion.  A  seaman  could  no  longer  mistake  the  craft. 
Her  length,  her  square  and  massive  hamper,  with  the  sym 
metry  of  her  spars,  and  the  long,  straight  outline  of  the  hull, 
left  no  doubt  that  it  was  a  cruiser,  with  her  hammocks  un- 
stowed.  Mulford  now  cheerfully  announced  to  his  com 
panions,  that  the  ship  they  so  plainly  saw,  scarcely  a 
gun-shot  distant  from  them,  was  the  sloop-of-war  which  had 
already  become  a  sort  of  an  acquaintance. 

"If  we  can  succeed  in  making  them  see  our  signal," 
cried  Mulford,  "  all  will  yet  be  well.  Come,  Jack,  and 
help  me  to  put  abroad  this  shawl,  the  only  ensign  we  can 
show." 

The  shawl  of  Rose  was  the  signal  spread.  Tier  and 
Mulford  stood  on  the  keel,  and  holding  opposite  corners, 
let  the  rest  of  the  cloth  blow  out  with  the  wind.  For  near 
an  hour  did  these  two  extend  their  arms,  and  try  all  possi 
ble  expedients  to  make  their  signal  conspicuous.  But,  un 
fortunately,  the  wind  blew  directly  toward  the  cruiser,  and 
instead  of  exposing  a  surface  of  any  breadth  to  the  vision 
of  those  on  board  her,  it  must,  at  most,  have  offered  little 
more  than  a  flitting,  waving  line. 

As  the  day  advanced,  sail  was  made  on  the  cruiser.  She 
had  stood  through  the  passage,  in  which  she  had  been  be 
calmed  most  of  the  night,  under  short  canvas;  but  now  she 
threw  out  fold  after  fold  of  her  studding-sails,  and  moved 
away  to  the  westward,  with  the  stately  motion  of  a  ship  be 
fore  the  wind.  No  sooner  had  she  got  far  enough  to  the 


236  JACK    TIER; 

northward  of  the  reef,  than  she  made  a  deviation  from  her 
course  as  first  seen,  turning  her  stern  entirely  to  the  wreck, 
and  rapidly  becoming  less  and  less  distinct  to  the  eyes  of 
those  who  floated  on  it. 

Mulford  saw  the  hopelessness  of  their  case,  as  it  respect 
ed  relief  from  this  vessel ;  still,  he  persevered  in  maintaining 
his  position  on  the  keel,  tossing  and  waving  the  shawl,  in 
all  the  variations  that  his  ingenuity  could  devise.  He  well 
knew,  however,  that  their  chances  of  being  seen  would 
have  been  trebled  could  they  have  been  ahead  instead  of 
astern  of  the  ship.  Mariners  have  few  occasions  to  look  be 
hind  them,  while  a  hundred  watchful  eyes  are  usually  turned 
ahead,  more  especially  when  running  near  rocks  and  shoals. 
Mrs.  Budd  wept  like  an  infant  when  she  saw  the  sloop-of- 
war  gliding  away,  reaching  a  distance  that  rendered  sight 
useless,  in  detecting  an  object  that  floated  as  low  on  the 
water  as  the  wreck.  As  for  Biddy,  unable  to  control  her 
feelings,  the  poor  creature  actually  called  to  the  crew  of  the 
departing  vessel,  as  if  her  voice  had  the  power  to  make  itself 
heard,  at  a  distance  which  already  exceeded  two  leagues. 
It  was  only  by  means  of  the  earnest  remonstrances  of  Rose, 
that  the  faithful  creature  could  be  quieted. 

"  Why  will  ye  not  come  to  our  relaif?"  she  cried  at  the 
top  of  her  voice.  "  Here  are  we,  helpless  as  new-born  ba 
bies,  and  ye  sailing  away  from  us  in  a  cont/trary  way ! 
D'ye  not  bethink  you  of  the  missus,  who  is  much  of  a  sail 
or,  but  not  sich  a  one  as  to  sail  on  a  wrack ;  and  poor  Miss 
Rose,  who  is  the  char-rm  and  delight  of  all  eyes.  Only 
come  and  take  off  Miss  Rose,  and  lave  the  rest  of  us,  if  ye 
so  likes ;  for  it 's  a  sin  and  a  shame  to  lave  the  likes  of  her 
to  die  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean,  as  if  she  was  no  betther 
nor  a  fish.  Then  it  will  be  soon  that  we  shall  ag'in  feel 
the  want  of  wather,  and  that,  too,  with  nothing  but  wather 
to  be  seen  on  all  sides  of  us." 

"  It  is  of  no  use,"  said  Harry,  mournfully,  stepping  down 
from  the  keel,  and  laying  aside  the  shawl.  "  They  cannot 
see  us,  and  the  distance  is  now  so  great  as  to  render  it 
certain  they  never  will.  There  is  only  one  hope  left.  We 
.ire  evidently  set  to  and  fro  by  the  tides,  and  it  is  possible 
that  by  keeping  in  or  near  this  passage,  some  other  craft 
may  appear^  and  we  be  more  fortunate.  The  relief  of  the 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  237 

rain  is  a  sign  that  we  are  not  forgotten  by  Divine  Provi 
dence,  and  with  such  a  protector  we  ought  not  to  despair.'' 

A  gloomy  and  scanty  breaking  of  the  fast  succeeded. 
.Each  person  had  one  large  mouthful  of  bread,  which  was 
all  that  prudence  would  authorize  Mulford  to  distribute. 
He  attempted  a  pious  fraud,  however,  by  placing  his  own 
allowance  along  with  that  of  Rose's,  under  the  impression 
that  her  strength  might  not  endure  privation  as  well  as  his 
own.  But  the  tender  solicitude  of  Rose  was  not  to  be  thus 
deceived.  Judging  of  his  wishes  and  motives  by  her  own, 
she  at  once  detected  the  deception,  and  insisted  on  retain 
ing  no  more  than  her  proper  share.  When  this  distribution 
was  completed,  and  the  meagre  allowance  taken,  only  suffi 
cient  bread  remained  to  make  one  more  similar  scanty 
meal,  if  meal  a  single  mouthful  could  be  termed.  As  for 
the  water,  a  want  of  which  would  be  certain  to  be  felt  as 
soon  as  the  sun  obtained  its  noon-day  power,  the  shawl  was 
extended  over  it,  in  a  way  to  prevent  evaporation  as  much 
as  possible,  and  at  the  same  time  to  offer  some  resistance 
to  the  fluid's  being  washed  from  its  shallow  receptacle  by 
the  motion  of  the  wreck,  which  was  sensibly  increasing 
with  the  increase  of  the  wind  and  waves. 

Mulford  had  next  an  anxious  duty  to  perform.  Through 
out  the  whole  of  the  preceding  day  he  had  seen  the  air  es 
caping  from  the  hull,  in  an  incessant  succession  of  small 
bubbles,  which  were  formidable  through  their  numbers,  if 
not  through  their  size.  The  mate  was  aware  that  this  un 
ceasing  loss  of  the  buoyant  property  of  the  wreck,  must 
eventually  lead  to  their  destruction,  should  no  assistance 
come,  and  he  had  marked  the  floating  line,  on  the  bottom 
of  the  vessel  with  his  knife,  ere  darkness  set  in,  on  the  pre 
vious  evening.  No  sooner  did  his  thoughts  recur  to  this 
fact,  after  the  excitement  of  the  first  hour  of  daylight  was 
over,  than  he  stepped  to  the  different  places  thus  marked, 
and  saw,  with  an  alarm  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  de 
scribe,  that  the  wreck  had  actually  sunk  into  the  water 
several  inches  within  the  last  few  hours.  This  was,  indeed, 
menacing  their  security  in  a  most  serious  manner,  setting 
a  limit  to  their  existence,  which  rendered  all  precaution  on 
the  subject  of  food  and  water  useless.  By  the  calculations 
of  the  mate,  the  wreck  could  not  float  more  than  eight-and- 


238  JACK   TIER; 

forty  hours,  should  it  continue  to  lose  the  air  at  the  rate  at 
which  it  had  been  hitherto  lost.  Bad  as  all  this  appeared, 
things  were  fated  to  become  much  more  serious.  The  mo 
tion  of  the  water  quite  sensibly  increased,  lifting  the  wreck 
at  times  in  a  way  greatly  to  increase  the  danger  of  their 
situation.  The  reader  will  understand  this  movement  did 
not  proceed  from  the  waves  of  the  existing  wind,  but  from 
what  is  technically  called  a  ground-swell,  or  the  long,  heavy 
undulations  that  are  left  by  the  tempest  that  is  past,  or  by 
some  distant  gale.  The  waves  of  the  present  breeze  were 
not  very  formidable,  the  reef  making  a  lee;  though  they 
might  possibly  become  inconvenient  from  breaking  on  the 
weather  side  of  the  wreck,  as  soon  as  the  drift  carried  the 
latter  fairly  abreast  of  the  passage  already  mentioned.  But 
the  dangers  that  proceeded  from  the  heavy  ground-swell, 
which  now  began  to  give  a  considerable  motion  to  the 
wreck,  will  best  explain  itself  by  narrating  the  incidents  as 
they  occurred. 

Harry  had  left  his  marks,  and  had  taken  his  seat  on  the 
keel  at  Rose's  side,  impatiently  waiting  for  any  turn  that 
Providence  might  next  give  to  their  situation,  when  a  heavy 
roll  of  the  wreck  first  attracted  his  attention  to  this  new  cir 
cumstance. 

"  If  any  one  is  thirsty,"  he  observed  quietly,  "  he  or  she 
had  better  drink  now,  while  it  naay  be  done.  Two  or  three 
more  such  rolls  as  this  last  will  wash  all  the  water  from  our 
gutters." 

"Wather  is  a  blessed  thing,"  said  Biddy,  with  a  longing 
expression  of  the  eyes,  "  and  it  would  be  betther  to  swallow 
it  than  to  let  it  be  lost." 

"Then  drink,  for  Heaven's  sake,  good  woman — it  may 
be  the  last  occasion  that  will  offer." 

"  Sure  am  I  that  I  would  not  touch  a  dhrap,  while  the 
missus  arid  Miss  Rosy  was  a  sufferin'." 

"  I  have  no  thirst  at  all,"  answered  Rose,  sweetly,  "  ami 
have  already  taken  more  water  than  was  good  for  me,  with 
so  little  food  on  my  stomach." 

"  Eat  another  morsel  of  the  bread,  beloved,"  whispered 
Harry,  in  a  manner  so  urgent  that  Rose  gratefully  complied. 
"  Drink,  Biddy,  and  we  will  come  and  share  with  you  be~ 
fore  the  water  is  wasted  by  this  increasing  motion." 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  239 

Biddy  did  as  desired,  and  each  knelt  in  turn  and  took  a 
little  of  the  grateful  fluid,  leaving  about  a  gill  in  the  gutters 
for  the  use  of  those  whose  lips  might  again  become  parched. 

"  Wather  is  a  blessed  thing,"  repeated  Biddy,  for  the 
twentieth  time — "  a  blessed,  blessed  thing  is  wather  !" 

A  little  scream  from  Mrs.  Budd,  which  was  dutifully 
taken  up  by  the  maid,  interrupted  the  speech  of  the  latter, 
and  every  eye  was  turned  on  Mulford,  as  if  to  ask  an  ex 
planation  of  the  groaning  sound  that  had  been  heard  within 
the  wreck.  The  young  mate  comprehended  only  too  well. 
The  rolling  of  the  wreck  had  lifted  a  portion  of  the  open 
hatchway  above  the  undulating  surface  of  the  sea,  and  a 
,'arge  quantity  of  the  pent  air  within  the  hold  had  escaped 
in  a  body.  The  entrance  of  water  to  supply  the  vacuum 
had  produced  the  groan.  Mulford  had  made  new  marks 
on  the  vessel's  bottom  with  his  knife,  and  he  stepped  down 
to  them,  anxious  and  nearly  heart-broken 3  to  note  the  effect. 
That  one  surging  of  the  wreck  had  permitted  air  enough 
to  escape  to  lower  it  in  the  water  several  inches.  As  yet, 
however,  the  visible  limits  of  their  floating  foundation  had 
not  been  sufficiently  reduced  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
females ;  and  the  young  man  said  nothing  on  the  subject. 
He  thought  that  Jack  Tier  was  sensible  of  the  existence  of 
this  new  source  of  danger,  but  if  he  were,  that  experienced 
mariner  imitated  his  own  reserve,  and  made  no  allusion  to 
it.  Thus  passed  the  day.  Occasionally  the  wreck  rolled 
heavily,  when  more  air  escaped,  the  hull  settling  lower  and 
lower  in  the  water  as  a  necessary  consequence.  The  little 
bubbles  continued  incessantly  to  rise,  and  Mulford  became 
satisfied  that  another  day  must  decide  their  fate.  Taking 
this  view  of  their  situation-  he  saw  no  use  in  reserving  their 
food,  but  encouraged  his  companions  to  share  the  whole  of 
what  remained  at  sunset.  Little  persuasion  was  necessary, 
and  when  night  once  more  came  to  envelope  them  in  dark 
ness,  not  a  mouthful  of  food  or  a  drop  of  water  remained 
to  meet  the  necessities  of  the  coming  morn.  It  had  rained 
again  for  a  short  time,  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  when 
enough  water  had  been  caught  to  allay  their  thirst,  and 
what  was  almost  of  as  much  importance  to  the  females  now, 
a  sufficiency  of  sun  had  succeeded  to  dry  their  clothes,  thus 
enabling  them  to  sleep  without  enduring  the  chilling  dampg 


240  JACK   TIER; 

that  might  otherwise  have  prevented  it.  The  wind  had 
sensibly  fallen,  and  the  ground-swell  was  altogether  gone, 
but  Muiford  was  certain  that  the  relief  had  come  too  late. 
So  much  air  had  escaped  while  it  lasted  as  scarce  to  leave 
him  the  hope  that  the  wreck  could  float  until  morning. 
The  rising  of  the  bubbles  was  now  incessant,  the  crevices 
by  which  they  escaped  having  most  probably  opened  a  little, 
in  consequence  of  the  pressure  and  the  unceasing  action 
of  the  currents,  small  as  the  latter  were. 

Just  as  darkness  was  shutting  in  around  them  for  the 
second  time,  Rose  remarked  to  Muiford  that  it  seemed  to 
her  that  they  had  not  as  large  a  space  for  their  little  world 
as  when  they  were  first  placed  on  it.  The  mate,  however, 
successfully  avoided  an  explanation ;  and  when  the  watch 
was  again  set  for  the  night,  the  females  lay  down  to  seek 
their  repose,  more  troubled  with  apprehensions  for  a  morrow 
of  hunger  and  thirst,  than  by  any  just  fears  that  might  so 
well  have  arisen  from  the  physical  certainty  that  the  body 
which  alone  kept  them  from  being  engulfed  in  the  sea,  could 
float  but  a  few  hours  longer.  This  night  Tier  kept  the 
look-out  until  Jupiter  reached  the  zenith,  when  Muiford 
was  called  to  hold  the  watch  until  light  returned. 

It  may  seem  singular  that  any  could  sleep  at  all  in  such 
a  situation.  But  we  get  accustomed,  in  an  incredibly  short 
time,  to  the  most  violent  changes;  and  calamities  that  seem 
insupportable,  when  looked  at  from  a  distance,  lose  half 
their  power  if  met  and  resisted  with  fortitude.  The  last 
may,  indeed,  be  too  insignificant  a  word  to  be  applied  to 
all  of  the  party  on  the  wreck,  on  the  occasion  of  which  we 
are  writing,  though  no  one  of  them  all  betrayed  fears  that 
were  troublesome.  Of  Muiford  -it  is  unnecessary  to  speak. 
His  deportment  had  been  quiet,  thoughtful,  and  full  of  a 
manly  interest  in  the  comfort  of  others,  from  the  first  mo- 
ment  of  the  calamity.  That  Rose  should  share  the  largest 
in  his  attentions  was  natural  enough,  but  he  neglected  no 
essential  duty  to  her  compan'^ns.  Rose,  herself,  had  little 
hope  of  being  rescued.  Her  naturally  courageous  character, 
however,  prevented  any  undue  exhibitions  of  despair,  and 
now  it  was  that  the  niece  became  the  principal  support  of 
the  aunt,  completely  changing  the  relations  that  had  for 
merly  existed  between  them.  Mrs.  Budd  had  lost  all  the 


OR,      THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  241 

little  buoyancy  of  her  mind.  Not  a  syllable  did  she  now 
utter  concerning  ships  and  their  mano3uvres.  She  had 
been,  at  first,  a  little  disposed  to  be  querulous  and  despairing, 
but  the  soothing  and  pious  conversation  of  Rose  awakened 
a  certain  degree  of  resolution  in  her,  and  habit  soon  exer 
cised  its  influence  over  even  her  inactive  mind.  Biddy  was 
a  strange  mixture  of  courage,  despair,  humility,  and  con- 
sideration  for  others.  Not  once  had  she  taken  her  small 
allowance  of  food  without  first  offering  it,  and  that,  too,  in 
perfect  good  faith,  to  her  "Missus  and  Miss  Rosy;"  yet 
her  meanings  for  this  sort  of  support,  and  her  complaints 
of  bodily  suffering  much  exceeded  that  of  all  the  rest  of  the 
party  put  together.  As  for  Jack  Tier,  his  conduct  singu 
larly  belied  his  appearance.  No  one  would  have  expected 
any  great  show  of  manly  resolution  from  the  little  rotund, 
lymphatic  figure  of  Tier  ;  but  he  had  manifested  a  calmness 
that  denoted  either  great  natural  courage,  or  a  resolution 
derived  from  familiarity  with  danger.  In  this  particular, 
even  Mulford  regarded  his  deportment  with  surprise,  not 
unmingled  with  respect. 

"  You  have  had  a  tranquil  watch,  Jack,"  said  Harry, 
when  he  was  called  by  the  person  named,  and  had  fairly 
aroused  himself  from  his  slumbers,  "  Has  the  wind  stood 
as  it  is  since.sunset  1  " 

"  No  change  whatever,  sir.  It  has  blown  a  good  working 
breeze  the  whole  watch,  and  what  is  surprising  not  as  much 
Upper  has  got  up  as  would  frighten  a  colt  on  a  sea-beach." 

"  We  must  be  near  the  reef,  by  that.  I  think  the  only 
currents  we  feel  come  from  the  tide,  and  they  seem  to  be 
setting  us  back  and  forth,  instead  of  carrying  us  in  any  one 
settled  direction." 

"  Quite  likely,  sir  ;  and  this  makes  my  opinion  of  what 
I  saw  an  hour  since  all  the  more  probable." 

"  What  you  saw  !  In  the  name  of  a  merciful  Providence, 
Tier,  do  not  trifle  with  me !  Has  any  thing  been  seen 
near  by  ?  " 

"  Don't  talk  to  me  of  you*  liquors  and  other  dhrinks," 
murmured  Biddy  in  her  sleep.  "  It's  wather  that  is  a 
blessed  thing ;  and  I  wish  I  lived,  the  night  and  the  day, 
by  the  swate  pump  that's  in  our  own  yard,  I  do." 

"  The  woman  has  been  talking  in  her  sleep,  in  this  fashion, 

VOL.  I,— 21. 


242  JACK    TIER; 

most  of  the  watch,"  observed  Jack,  coolly,  and  perhaps  a 
little  contemptuously.  "  But,  Mr.  Mulford,  unless  my  eyes 
have  cheated  me,  we  are  near  that  boat  again.  The  passage 
through  the  reef  is  close  aboard  us,  here,  on  our  larboard 
bow,  as  it  might  be,  and  the  current  has  sucked  us  in  it  in 
a  fashion  to  bring  it  in  a  sort  of  athwart-hawse  direction 
to  us." 

"  If  that  boat,  after  all,  should  be  sent  by  Providence  to 
our  relief  !  How  long  is  it  since  you  saw  it,  Jack." 

"  But  a  bit  since,  sir;  or,  for  that  matter,  I  think  I  see- 
it  now.  Look  hereaway,  sir,  just  where  the  dead-eyes  of 
the  fore-rigging  would  bear  from  us,  if  the  craft  stood  upon 
her  legs,  as  she  ought  to  do.  If  that  isn't  a  boat,  it's  a  rock 
out  of  water." 

Mulford  gazed  through  the  gloom  of  midnight,  and  saw, 
or  fancied  he  saw,  an  object  that  might  really  be  the  boat. 
It  could  not  be  very  distant  either  ;  and  his  mind  was  in- 
stantly  made  up  as  to  the  course  he  would  pursue.  Should 
it  actually  turn  out  to  be  that  which  he  now  so  much  hoped 
for,  and  its  distance  in  the  morning  did  not  prove  too  great 
for  human  powers,  he  was  resolved  to  swim  for  it  at  the 
hazard  of  his  life.  In  the  meantime,  or  until  light  should 
return,  there  remained  nothing  to  do  but  to  exercise  as 
much  patience  as  could  be  summoned,  and  to  confide  in 
God,  soliciting  his  powerful  succour  by  secret  prayer. 

Mulford  was  no  sooner  left  alone,  as  it  might  be,  by 
Tier's  seeking  a  place  in  which  to  take  his  rest,  than  he 
again  examined  the  state  of  the  wreck.  Little  as  he  had 
hoped  from  its  long-continued  buoyancy,  he  found  matters 
even  worse  than  he  apprehended  they  would  be.  The  hull 
had  lost  much  air,  and  had  consequently  sunk  in  the  water 
in  an  exact  proportion  to  this  loss.  The  space  that  was 
actually  above  the  water,  was  reduced  to  an  area  not  more 
than  six  or  seven  feet  in  one  direction,  by  some  ten  or 
twelve  in  the  other.  This  was  reducing  its  extent,  since 
the  evening  previous,  by  fully  one  half;  and  there  could  be 
no  doubt  that  the  air  was  escaping,  in  consequence  of  the 
additional  pressure,  in  a  ratio  that  increased  by  a  sort  of 
arithmetical  progression.  *  The  young  man  knew  that  the 
whole  wreck,  under  its  peculiar  circumstances,  might  sink 
entirely  beneath  the  surface,  and  yet  possess  sufficient 


OR,      THE      FLORIDA      REEF.  243 

buoyancy  to  sustain  those  that  were  on  it  for  a  time  longer, 
but  this  involved  the  terrible  necessity  of  leaving  the  females 
partly  submerged  themselves. 

Our  mate  heard  his  own  heart  beat,  as  he  became  satisfied 
of  the  actual  condition  of  the  wreck,  and  of  the  physical 
certainty  that  existed  of  its  sinking,  at  least  to  the  point 
last  mentioned,  ere  the  sun  came  to  throw  his  glories  over 
the  last  view  that  the  sufferers  would  be  permitted  to  take 
of  the  face  of  day.  It  appeared  to  him  that  no  time  was  to 
be  lost.  There  lay  the  dim  and  shapeless  object  that  seemed 
to  be  the  boat,  distant,  as  he  thought,  about  a  mile.  It 
would  not  have  been  visible  at  all  but  for  the  perfect  smooth, 
ness  of  the  sea,  and  the  low  position  occupied  by  the  ob 
server.  At  times  it  did  disappear  altogether,  when  it  would 
rise  again,  as  if  undulating  in  the  ground-swell.  This  last 
circumstance,  more  than  any  other,  persuaded  Harry  that 
it  was  not  a  rock,  but  some  floating  object  that  he  beheld. 
Thus  encouraged,  he  delayed  no  longer.  Every  moment 
was  precious,  and  afl  might  be  lost  by  indecision.  He  did 
not  like  the  appearance  of  deserting  his  companions,  but, 
should  he  fail,  the  motive  would  appear  in  the  act.  Should 
he  fail,  every  one  would  alike  soon  be  beyond  the  reach  of 
centre,  and  in  a  state  of  being  that  would  do  full  justice 
to  all. 

Harry  threw  off  most  of  his  clothes,  reserving  only  his 
shirt  and  a  pair  of  light  summer  trowsers.  He  could  not 
quit  the  wreck,  however,  without  taking  a  sort  of  leave  of 
Rose.  On  no  account  would  he  awake  her,  for  he  appre 
ciated  the  agony  she  would  feel  during  the  period  of  his 
struggles.  Kneeling  at  her  side,  he  made  a  short  prayer, 
then  pressed  his  lips  to  her  warm  cheek,  and  left  her.  Rose 
murmured  his  name  at  that  instant,  but  it  was  as  the  inno 
cent  and  young  betray  their  secrets  in  their  slumbers. 
Neither  of  the  party  awoke. 

It  was  a  moment  to  prove  the  heart  of  man,  that  in  which 
Harry  Mulford,  in  the  darkness  of  midnight,  alone,  unsus- 
tained  by  any  encouraging  eye,  or  approving  voice,  with 
no  other  aid  than  his  own  stout  arm,  and  the  unknown 
designs  of  a  mysterious  Providence,  committed  his  form  to 
the  sea.  For  an  instant  he  paused,  after  he  had  waded 
down  on  the  wreck  to  a  spot  where  the  water  already 


244  JACK     TIER. 

mounted  to  his  breast,  but  it  was  not  in  misgivings.  He 
calculated  the  chances,  and  made  an  intelligent  use  of  such 
assistance  as  could  be  had.  There  had  been  no  sharks 
near  the  wreck  thay  day,  but  a  splash  in  the  water  might 
bring  them  back  again  in  a  crowd.  They  were  probably 
prowling  over  the  reef,  near  at  hand.  The  mate  used  great 
care,  therefore,  to  make  no  noise.  There  was  the  distant 
object,  and  he  set  it  by  a  bright  star,  that  wanted  about  an 
hour  before  it  would  sink  beneath  the  horizon.  That  star 
was  his  beacon,  and  muttering  a  few  words  in  earnest  prayer, 
the  young  man  threw  his  body  forward,  and  left  the  wreck, 
swimming  lightly  but  with  vigor. 


END    OF    VOL.    I. 


JACK   TIER; 


OR, 


THE     FLORIDA     REEF. 


BY    J.     FENIMORE    COOPER. 


Ay,  now  I  am  in  Arden;  the  more  fool 

I    when  I  was  at  homo  I  was  in  a  better  place ;  but 

Travellers  must  be  content. 

As  You  Like  It. 


IN      TWO      VOLUMES. 
VOL.  II. 


NEW    EDITION. 


NEW    YORK: 
STRINGER      AND      TOWNSEND, 

1852. 


Entered,  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1848,  by 
J.  FENIMORE  COOPER, 

in  the  clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Northern  District 
ol  New  York. 


JACK   TIEB. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  night  has  been  unruly  :  where  we  lay, 

Our  chimneys  were  blown  down  :  and,  as  they  say, 

Lamentings  heard  i'  the  air  ;  strange  screams  of  death  ; 

And  prophesying,  with  accents  terrible, 

Of  dire  combustion,  and  confused  events, 

New  hatched  to  the  woful  time. 

Macbeth. 

IT  is  seldom  that  man  is  required  to  make  an  exertion 
as  desperate  and  appalling,  in  all  its  circumstances,  as  that 
on  which  Harry  Mulford  was  now  bent.  The  night  was 
starlight,  it  was  true,  and  it  was  possible  to  see  objects 
near  by  with  tolerable  distinctness;  still,  it  was  midnight, 
and  the  gloom  of  that  hour  rested  on  the  face  of  the  sea, 
lending  its  solemn  mystery  and  obscurity  to  the  other  try 
ing  features  of  the  undertaking.  Then  there  was  the 
uncertainty  whether  it  was  the  boat  at  all,  of  which  he 
was  in  pursuit;  and,  if  the  boat,  it  might  drift  away  from 
him  as  fast  as  he  could  follow  it.  Nevertheless,  the  per 
fect  conviction  that,  without  some  early  succour,  the  party 
on  the  wreck,  including  Rose  Budd,  must  inevitably  perish, 
stimulated  him  to  proceed,  and  a  passing  feeling  of  doubt, 
touching  the  prudence  of  his  course,  that  came  over  the 
young  mate,  when  he  was  a  few  yards  from  the  wreck, 
vanished  under  a  vivid  renewal  of  this  last  conviction.  On 
he  swam,  therefore,  riveting  his  eye  on  the  "  thoughtful 
star"  that  guided  his  course,  and  keeping  his  mind  as 
tranquil  as  possible,  in  order  that  the  exertions  of  his  body 
might  be  the  easier. 

Mulford  was  an  excellent  swimmer.  The  want  of  food 
was  a  serious  obstacle  to  his  making  one  of  his  best  efforts, 

(3) 


4  JACK   TIER; 

but,  as  yet,  he  was  not  very  sensible  of  any  great  loss  of 
strength.  Understanding  fully  the  necessity  of  swimming 
easily,  if  he  would  swim  long,  he  did  not  throw  out  all  his 
energy  at  first,  but  made  the  movements  of  his  limbs  as 
regular,  continued,  and  skilful  as  possible.  No  strength 
was  thrown  away,  and  his  progress  was  in  proportion  to 
the  prudence  of  this  manner  of  proceeding.  For  some 
twenty  minutes  he  held  on  his  course,  in  this  way,  when 
he  began  to  experience  a  little  of  that  weariness  which  is 
apt  to  accompany  an  unremitted  use  of  the  same  set  of 
muscles,  in  a  monotonous  and  undeviating  mode.  Accus 
tomed  to  all  the  resources  of  his  art,  he  turned  on  his  back, 
for  the  double  purpose  of  relieving  his  arms  for  a  minute, 
and  of  getting  a  glimpse  of  the  wreck,  if  possible,  in  or 
der  to  ascertain  the  distance  he  had  overcome.  Swim 
long  in  this  new  manner,  however,  he  could  not  with 
prudence,  as  the  star  was  necessary  in  order  to  keep  the 
direct  line  of  his  course.  It  may  be  well  to  explain  to 
some  of  our  readers,  that,  though  the  surface  of  the 
ocean  may  be  like  glass,  as  sometimes  really  happens,  it  is 
never  absolutely  free  from  the  long,  undulating  motion  that 
is  known  by  the  name  of  a  "  ground  swell."  This  swell, 
on  the  present  occasion,  was  not  very  heavy,  but  it  was 
sufficient  to  place  our  young  mate,  at  moments,  between 
two  dark  mounds  of  water,  that  limited  his  view  in  either 
direction  to  some  eighty  or  a  hundred  yards  ;  then  it  raised 
him  on  the  summit  of  a  rounded  wave,  that  enabled  him 
to  see,  far  as  his  eye  could  reach  under  that  obscure  light. 
Profiting  by  this  advantage,  Mulford  now  looked  behind 
him,  in  quest  of  the  wreck,  but  uselessly.  It  might  have 
been  in  the  trough,  while  he  was  thus  on  the  summit  of 
the  waves,  or  it  might  be  that  it  floated  so  low  as  to  be 
totally  lost  to  the  view  of  one  whose  head  was  scarcely 
above  the  surface  of  the  water.  For  a  single  instant,  the 
young  man  felt  a  chill  at  his  heart,  as  he  fancied  that  the 
wreck  had  already  sunk ;  but  it  passed  away  when  he  re 
called  the  slow  progress  by  which  the  air  escaped,  and  he 
saw  the  certainty  that  the  catastrophe,  however  inevitable, 
could  not  yet  have  really  arrived.  He  waited  for  another 
swell  to  lift  him  on  its  summit,  when,  by  "  treading  water," 
he  raised  his  head  and  shoulders  fairly  above  the  surface 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  O 

of  the  sea,  and  strained  his  eyes  in  another  vain  effort  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  wreck.  He  could  not  see  it.  In 
point  of  fact,  the  mate  had  swum  much  further  than  he  had 
supposed,  and  was  already  so  distant  as  to  render  any  such 
attempt  hopeless.  He  was  fully  a  third  of  a  mile  distant 
from  the  point  of  his  departure. 

Disappointed,  and  in  a  slight  degree  disheartened,  Mul- 
ford  turned,  and  swam  in  the  direction  of  the  sinking  star. 
He  now  looked  anxiously  for  the  boat.  It  was  time  that  it 
came  more  plainly  into  view,  and  a  new  source  of  anxiety 
beset  him,  as  he  could  discover  no  signs  of  its  vicinity. 
Certain  that  he  was  on  the  course,  after  making  a  due  al 
lowance  for  the  direction  of  the  wind,  the  stout-hearted 
young  man  swam  on.  He  next  determined  not  to  annoy 
himself  by  fruitless  searches,  or  vain  regrets,  but  to  swim 
steadily  for  a  certain  time,  a  period  long  enough  to  carry 
him  a  material  distance,  ere  he  again  looked  for  the  object 
of  his  search. 

For  twenty  minutes  longer  did  that  courageous  and  ac 
tive  youth  struggle  with  the  waste  of  waters,  amid  the  ob 
scurity  and  solitude  of  midnight.  He  now  believed  himself 
near  a  mile  from  the  wreck,  and  the  star  which  had  so  long 
served  him  for  a  beacon  was  getting  near  to  the  horizon. 
He  took  a  new  observation  of  another  of  the  heavenly 
bodies  nigh  it,  to  serve  him  in  its  stead  when  it  should  dis 
appear  altogether,  and  then  he  raised  himself  in  the  water, 
and  looked  about  again  for  the  boat.  The  search  was  in 
vain.  No  boat  was  very  near  him,  of  a  certainty,  and  the 
dreadful  apprehension  began  to  possess  his  mind,  of  perish 
ing  uselessly  in  that  waste  of  gloomy  waters.  While  thus 
gazing  about  him,  turning  his  eyes  in  every  quarter,  hoping 
intently  to  catch  some  glimpse  of  the  much-desired  object 
in  the  gloom,  he  saw  two  dark,  pointed  objects,  that  resem 
bled  small  stakes,  in  the  water  within  twenty  feet  of  him. 
Mulford  knew  them  at  a  glance,  and  a  cold  shudder  passed 
through  his  frame,  as  he  recognised  them.  They  were, 
out  of  all  question,  the  fins  of  an  enormous  shark ;  an  ani 
mal  that  could  not  measure  less  than  eighteen  or  twenty 
feet  in  length. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say,  that  when  our  young  mate 
discovered  the  proximity  of  this  dangerous  animal,  situated 


6  JACK    TIER; 

as  he  was,  he  gave  himself  up  for  lost.  He  possessed  his 
knife,  however,  and  had  heard  of  the  manner  in  which  even 
sharks  were  overcome,  and  that  too  in  their  own  element, 
by  the  skilful  and  resolute.  At  first,  he  was  resolved  to 
make  one  desperate  effort  for  life,  before  he  submitted  to  a 
fate  as  horrible  as  that  which  now  menaced  him ;  but  the 
movements  of  hrs  dangerous  neighbour  induced  him  to  wait. 
It  did  not  approach  any  nearer,  but  continued  swimming 
back  and  fro,  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  according  to  the 
known  habits  of  the  fish,  as  if  watching  his  own  movements. 
There  being  no  time  to  be  wasted,  our  young  mate  turned 
on  his  face,  and  began  again  to  swim  in  the  direction  of 
the  setting  star,  though  nearly  chilled  by  despair.  For  ten 
minutes  longer  did  he  struggle  on,  beginning  to  feel  ex 
haustion,  however,  and  always  accompanied  by  those  two 
dark,  sharp  and  gliding  fins.  There  was  no  difficulty  in 
knowing  the  position  of  the  animal,  and  Mulford's  eyes 
were  oftener  on  those  fins  than  on  the  beacon  before  him. 
Strange  as  it  may  appear,  he  actually  became  accustomed 
to  the  vicinity  of  this  formidable  creature,  and  soon  felt  his 
presence  a  sort  of  relief  against  the  dreadful  solitude  of  his 
situation.  He  had  been  told  by  seamen  of  instances,  and 
had  once  witnessed  a  case  himself,  in  which  a  shark  had 
attended  a  swimming  man  for  a  long  distance,  either  for 
bearing  to  do  him  harm,  from  repletion,  or  influenced  by 
that  awe  which  nature  has  instilled  into  all  of  the  inferior, 
for  the  highest  animal  of  the  creation.  He  began  to  think 
that  he  was  thus  favoured,  and  really  regarded  the  shark  as 
a  friendly  neighbour,  rather  than  as  a  voracious  foe.  In 
this  manner  did  the  two  proceed,  nearly  another  third  of  a 
mile,  the  fins  sometimes  in  sight  ahead,  gliding  hither  and 
thither,  and  sometimes  out  of  view  behind  the  swimmer, 
leaving  him  in  dreadful  doubts  as  to  the  movements  of  the 
fish,  when  Mulford  suddenly  felt  something  hard  hit  his 
foot.  Believing  it  to  be  the  shark,  dipping  for  his  prey,  a 
slight  exclamation  escaped  him.  At  the  next  instant  both 
feet  hit  the  unknown  substance  again,  and  he  stood  erect, 
the  water  no  higher  than  his  waist !  Quick,  and  compre 
hending  everything  connected  with  the  sea,  the  young  man 
at  once  understood  that  he  was  on  a  part  of  the  reef  where 
the  water  was  so  shallow  as  to  admit  of  his  wading. 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  7 

Mulford  felt  that  he  had  been  providentially  rescued  from 
death.  His  strength  had  been  about  to  fail  him,  when  he 
was  thus  led,  unknown  to  himself,  to  a  spot  where  his  life 
might  yet  be  possibly  prolonged  for  a  few  more  hours,  or 
days.  He  had  leisure  to  look  about  him,  and  to  reflect  on 
what  was  next  to  be  done.  Almost  unwittingly,  he  turned 
in  quest  of  his  terrible  companion,  in  whose  voracious 
mouth  he  had  actually  believed  himself  about  to  be  immo 
lated,  a  few  seconds  before.  There  the  two  horn-like  fins 
still  were,  gliding  about  above  the  water,  and  indicating 
the  smallest  movement  of  their  formidable  owner.  The 
mate  observed  that  they  went  a  short  distance  ahead  of  him, 
describing  nearly  a  semi-circle,  and  then  returned,  doing 
the  same  thing  in  his  rear,  repeating  the  movements  inces 
santly,  keeping  always  on  his  right.  This  convinced  him 
that  shoaler  water  existed  on  his  left  hand,  and  he  waded 
in  that  direction,  until  he  reached  a  small  spot  of  naked 
rock. 

For  a  time,  at  least,  he  was  safe !  The  fragment  of  coral 
on  which  the  mate  now  stood,  was  irregular  in  shape,  but 
might  have  contained  a  hundred  feet  square  in  superficial 
measurement,  and  was  so  little  raised  above  the  level  of 
the  water  as  not  to  be  visible,  even  by  daylight,  at  the  dis 
tance  of  a  hundred  yards.  Mulford  found  it  was  perfectly 
dry,  however,  an  important  discovery  to  him,  as  by  a  close 
calculation  he  had  made  of  the  tides,  since  quitting  the  Dry 
Tortugas,  he  knew  it  must  be  near  high  water.  Could  he 
have  even  this  small  portion  of  bare  rock  secure,  it  made 
him,  for  the  moment,  rich  as  the  most  extensive  landholder 
living.  A  considerable  quantity  of  sea-weed  had  lodged 
on  the  rock,  and,  as  most  of  this  was  also  quite  dry,  it  con 
vinced  the  young  sailor  that  the  place  was  usually  bare. 
But,  though  most  of  this  sea-weed  was  dry,  there  were  por 
tions  of  the  more  recent  accessions  there  that  still  lay  in, 
or  quite  near  to  the  water,  which  formed  exceptions.  In 
handling  these  weeds,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  facts,  Mul 
ford  caught  a  small  shell-fish,  and  finding  it  fresh  and  easy 
to  open,  he  swallowed  it  with  the  eagerness  of  a  famishing 
man.  Never  had  food  proved  half  so  grateful  to  him  as 
that  single  swallow  of  a  very  palatable  testaceous  animal. 
By  feeling  further,  he  found  several  others  of  the  same 


8  JACK  TIER; 

family,  and  made  quite  as  large  a  meal,  as,  under  the  cir 
cumstances,  was  probably  good  for  him.  Then,  grateful 
for  his  escape,  but  overcome  by  fatigue,  he  hastily  arranged 
a  bed  of  sea-weed,  drew  a  portion  of  the  plant  over  his  body, 
to  keep  him  warm,  and  fell  into  a  deep  sleep  that  lasted  for 
hours. 

Mulford  did  not  regain  his  consciousness  until  the  rays 
of  the  rising  sun  fell  upon  his  eye-lids,  and  the  genial 
warmth  of  the  great  luminary  shed  its  benign  influence 
over  his  frame.  At  first  his  mind  was  confused,  and  it  re 
quired  a  few  seconds  to  bring  a  perfect  recollection  of  the 
past,  and  a  true  understanding  of  his  real  situation.  They 
came,  however,  and  the  young  man  moved  to  the  highest 
part  of  his  little  domain,  and  cast  an  anxious,  hurried  look 
around  in  quest  of  the  wreck.  A  knowledge  of  the  course 
in  which  he  had  swum,  aided  by  the  position  of  the  sun, 
told  him  on  what  part  of  the  naked  waste  to  look  for  the 
object  he  sought.  God  had  not  yet  forsaken  them  !  There 
was  the  wreck ;  or,  it  might  be  more  exact  to  say,  there 
were  those  whom  the  remaining  buoyancy  of  the  wreck 
still  upheld  from  sinking  into  the  depths  of  the  gulf.  In 
point  of  fact,  but  a  very  little  of  the  bottom  of  the  vessel 
actually  remained  above  water,  some  two  or  three  yards 
square  at  most,  and  that  little  was  what  seamen  term  nearly 
awash.  Two  or  three  hours  must  bury  that  small  portion 
of  the  still  naked  wood  beneath  the  surface  of  the  sea, 
though  sufficient  buoyancy  might  possibly  remain  for  the 
entire  day  still  to  keep  the  living  from  death. 

There  the  wreck  was,  however,  yet  floating ;  and,  though 
not  visible  to  Mulford,  with  a  small  portion  of  it  above 
water.  He  saw  the  four  persons  only ;  and  what  was  more, 
they  saw  him.  This  was  evident  by  Jack  Tier's  waving 
his  hat  like  a  man  cheering.  When  Mulford  returned  this 
signal,  the  shawl  of  Rose  was  tossed  into  the  air,  in  a  way 
to  leave  no  doubt  that  he  was  seen  and  known.  The  ex 
planation  of  this  early  recognition  and  discovery  of  the 
young  mate  was  very  simple.  Tier  was  not  asleep  when 
Harry  left  the  wreck,  though,  seeing  the  importance  of  the 
step  the  other  was  taking,  he  had  feigned  to  be  so.  When 
Rose  awoke,  missed  her  lover,  and  was  told  what  had  hap 
pened,  her  heart  was  kept  from  sinking  by  his  encouraging 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  9 

tale  and  hopes.  An  hour  of  agony  had  succeeded,  never- 
theless,  when  light  returned  and  no  Mufford  was  to  be  seen. 
The  despair  that  burst  upon  the  heart  of  our  heroine  was 
followed  by  the  joy  of  discovering  him  on  the  rock. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  how  much  the  parties  were 
relieved  on  ascertaining  their  respective  positions.  Faint 
as  were  the  hopes  of  each  of  eventual  delivery,  the  two  or 
three  minutes  that  succeeded  seemed  to  be  minutes  of  per 
fect  happiness.  After  this  rush  of  unlooked-for  joy,  Mul- 
ford  continued  his  intelligent  examination  of  surrounding 
objects. 

The  wreck  was  fully  half  a  mile  from  the  rock  of  the 
mate,  but  much  nearer  to  the  reef  than  it  had  been  the 
previous  night.  "  Could  it  but  ground  on  the  rocks," 
thought  .the  young  man,  "it  would  be  a  most  blessed 
event."  The  thing  was  possible,  though  the  first  half  hour 
of  his  observations  told  him  that  its  drift  was  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  open  passage  so  often  named,  rather  than  toward 
the  nearest  rocks.  Still,  that  drift  brought  Rose  each 
minute  nearer  and  nearer  to  himself  again.  In  looking 
round,  however,  the  young  man  saw  the  boat.  It  was  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  with  open  water  between  them, 
apparently  grounded  on  a  rock,  for  it  was  more  within  the 
reef  than  he  was  himself.  He  must  have  passed  it  in  the 
dark,  and  the  boat  had  been  left  to  obey  the  wind  and  cur 
rents,  and  to  drift  to  the  spot  where  it  then  lay. 

Mulford  shouted  aloud  when  he  saw  the  boat,  and  at 
once  determined  to  swim  in  quest  of  it,  as  soon  as  he  had 
collected  a  little  refreshment  from  among  the  sea-weed.  On 
taking  a  look  at  his  rock  by  daylight,  he  saw  that  its  size 
was  quadrupled  to  the  eye  by  the  falling  of  the  tide,  and 
that  water  was  lying  in  several  of  the  cavities  of  its  uneven 
surface.  At  first  he  supposed  this  to  be  sea-water,  left  by 
the  flood  ;  but,  reflecting  a  moment,  he  remembered  the 
rain,  and  hoped  it  might  be  possible  that  one  little  cavity, 
containing  two  or  three  gallons  of  the  fluid,  would  turn  out 
to  be  fresh.  Kneeling  beside  it,  he  applied  his  lips  in  fe 
verish  haste,  and  drank  the  sweetest  draught  that  had  ever 
passed  his  lips.  Slaking  his  thirst,  which  had  begun  again 
to  be  painfully  severe,  he  arose  with  a  heart  overflowing 
with  gratitude — could  he  only  get  Rose  to  that  narrow  and 


10  JACK  TIER; 

barren  rock,  it  would  seem  to  be  an  earthly  pa  .'adise.  Mul* 
ford  next  made  his  scanty,  but,  all  things  considered,  suffi 
cient  meal,  drank  moderately  afterward,  and  fhen  turned 
his  attention  and  energies  toward  the  boat,  which,  though 
now  aground  and  fast,  might  soon  float  on  the  rising  tide, 
and  drift  once  more  beyond  his  reach.  It  was  his  first  in 
tention  to  swim  directly  for  his  object ;  but,  just  when  about 
to  enter  the  water,  he  saw  with  horror  the  fins  of  at  least  a 
dozen  sharks,  which  were  prowling  about  in  the  deeper  water 
of  the  reef,  and  almost  encircling  his  hold.  To  throw  him 
self  in  the  midst  of  such  enemies  would  be  madness,  and 
he  stopped  to  reflect,  and  again  to  look  about  him.  For 
the  first  time  that  morning,  he  took  a  survey  of  the  entire 
horizon,  to  see  if  anything  were  in  sight ;  for,  hitherto,  his 
thoughts  had  been  too  much  occupied  with  Rose  and  her 
companions,  to  remember  anything  else.  To  the  north 
ward  and  westward  he  distinctly  saw  the  upper  sails  of  a 
large  ship,  that  was  standing  on  a  wind  to  the  northward 
and  eastward.  As  there  was  no  port  to  which  a  vessel  of 
that  character  would  be  likely  to  be  bound  in  the  quarter 
of  the  Gulf  to  which  such  a  course  would  lead,  Mulford  at 
once  inferred  it  was  the  sloop-of-war,  which,  after  having 
examined  the  islets,  at  the  Dry  Tortugas,  and  finding  them 
deserted,  was  beating  up,  either  to  go  into  Key  West,  or 
to  pass  to  the  southward  of  the  reef  again,  by  the  passage 
through  which  she  had  come  as  lately  as  the  previous  day. 
This  was  highly  encouraging ;  and  could  he  only  get  to  the 
boat,  and  remove  the  party  from  the  wreck  before  it  sunk, 
there  was  now  every  prospect  of  a  final  escape. 

To  the  southward,  also,  the  mate  fancied  he  saw  a  sail. 
It  was  probably  a  much  smaller  vessel  than  the  ship  in  the 
north-west,  and  at  a  greater  distance.  It  might,  however, 
be  the  lofty  sails  of  some  large  craft,  standing  along  the 
reef,  going  westward,  bound  to  New  Orleans,  or  to  that 
new  and  important  port,  Point  Isabel :  or  it  might  be  some 
wrecker,  or  other  craft,  edging  away  into  the  passage.  As 
it  was,  it  appeared  only  as  a  speck  in  the  horizon,  and  was 
too  far  off  to  offer  much  prospect  of  succour. 

Thus  acquainted  with  the  state  of  things  around  him, 
Mulford  gave  his  attention  seriously  to  his  duties,  lie  was 
chiefly  afraid  that  the  returning  tide  might  lift  the  boat 


OR,   THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  11 

from  the  rock  on  which  it  had  grounded,  and  that  it  would 
float  beyond  his  reach.  Then  there  was  the  frightful  and 
ever-increasing  peril  of  the  wreck,  and  the  dreadful  fate 
that  so  inevitably  menaced  those  that  it  held,  were  not  re 
lief  prompt.  This  thought  goaded  him  nearly  to  despera 
tion,  and  he  felt  at  moments  almost  ready  to  plunge  into 
the  midst  of  the  sharks,  and  fight  his  way  to  his  object. 

But  reflection  showed  him  a  less  hazardous  way  of  mak 
ing  an  effort  to  reach  the  boat.  The  sharks'  fins  described 
a  semicircle  only,  as  had  been  the  case  of  his  single  attend 
ant  during  the  night,  and  he  thought  that  the  shealiiess  of 
the  water  prevented  their  going  further  than  they  did,  in  a 
south-easterly  direction,  which  was  that  of  the  boat.  He 
well  knew  that  a  shark  required  sufficient  water  to  sink 
beneath  its  prey,  ere  it  made  its  swoop,  and  that  it  uni 
formly  turned  on  its  back,  and  struck  upward  whenever  it 
gave  one  of  its  voracious  bites.  This  was  owing  to  the 
greater  length  of  its  upper  than  of  its  lower  jaw,  and  Mul- 
ford  had  heard  it  was  a  physical  necessity  of  its  formation. 
Right  or  wrong,  he  determined  to  act  on  this  theory,  and 
began  at  ^mce  to  wade  along  the  part  of  the  reef  that  his 
enemies  seemed  unwilling  to  approach. 

Had  our  young  mate  a  weapon  of  any  sort  larger  than 
his  knife,  he  would  have  felt  greater  confidence  in  his  suc 
cess.  As  it  was,  however,  he  drew  that  knife,  and  was 
prepared  to  sell  his  life  dearly  should  a  foe  assail  him.  No 
sooner  was  his  step  heard  in  the  water,  than  the  whole 
group  of  sharks  were  set  in  violent  motion,  glancing  past, 
and  frequently  quite  near  him,  as  if  aware  their  intended 
prey  was  about  to  escape.  Had  the  water  deepened  much, 
Harry  would  have  returned  at  once,  for  a  conflict  with  such 
numbers  would  have  been  hopeless;  but  it  did  not;  on  the 
contrary,  it  shoaled  again,  after  a  very  short  distance,  at 
which  it  had  been  waist-deep-  and  Mulford  found  himself 
wading  over  a  long,  broad  surface  of  rock,  and  that  directly 
toward  the  boat,  through  water  that  seldom  rose  above  his 
knees,  and  which,  occasionally,  scarce  covered  his  feet. 
There  was  no  absolutely  naked  rock  near  him,  but  there- 
seemed  to  be  acres  of  that  which  might  be  almost  said  to 
be  awash.  Amid  the  greedy  throng  that  endeavoured  to 
accompany  him,  the  mate  even  fancied  he  recognised  the 


12  JACK   TIER; 

enormous  fins  of  his  old  companion,  who  sailed  to  and  fro 
in  the  crowd  in  a  stately  manner,  as  if  merely  a  curious 
looker-on  of  his  own  movements.  It  was  the  smaller,  and 
probably  the  younger  sharks,  that  betrayed  the  greatest 
hardihood  and  voracity.  One  or  two  of  these  made  fierce 
swoops  toward  Harry,  as  if  bent  on  having  him  at  every 
hazard ;  but  they  invariably  glided  off  when  they  found 
their  customary  mode  of  attack  resisted  by  the  shoalness 
of  the  water. 

Our  young  mate  got  ahead  but  slowly,  being  obliged  to 
pay  a  cautious  attention  to  the  movements  of  his  escort. 
Sometimes  he  was  compelled  to  wade  up  to  his  arms  in 
order  to  cross  narrow  places,  that  he  might  get  on  portions 
of  the  rock  that  were  nearly  bare;  and  once  he  was  actu 
ally  compelled  to  swim  eight  or  ten  yards.  Nevertheless, 
he  did  get  on,  and  after  an  hour  of  this  sort  of  work,  he 
found  himself  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  boat,  which 
lay  grounded  near  a  low  piece  of  naked  rock,  but  separated 
from  it  by  a  channel  of  deep  water,  into  which  all  the 
sharks  rushed  in  a  body,  as  if  expressly  to  cut  off  his  es 
cape.  Mulford  now  paused  to  take  breath,  and  to  consider 
what  ought  to  be  done.  On  the  spot  where  he  stood  he 
was  quite  safe,  though  ancle-deep  in  the  sea,  the  shallow 
water  extending  to  a  considerable  distance  on  all  sides  of 
him,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  channel  in  his  front. 
He  stood  on  the  very  verge  of  that  channel,  and  could  see 
in  the  pellucid  element  before  him,  that  it  was  deep  enough 
to  float  a  vessel  of  some  size. 

To  venture  into  the  midst  of  twenty  sharks  required 
desperation,  and  Harry  was  not  yet  reduced  to  that.  He 
had  been  so  busy  in  making  his  way  to  the  point  where  he 
stood  as  to  have  no  leisure  to  look  for  the  wreck  ;  but  he 
now  turned  his  eyes  in  quest  of  that  all-interesting  object. 
He  saw  the  shawl  fluttering  in  the  breeze,  and  that  was  all 
he  could  see.  Tier  had  contrived  to  keep  it  flying  as  a 
signal  where  he  was  to  be  found,  but  the  hull  of  the  schooner 
had  sunk  so  low  in  the  water  that  they  who  were  seated 
on  its  keel  were  not  visible  even  at  the  short  distance  which 
now  separated  them  from  Mulford.  Encouraged  by  this 
signal,  and  animated  by  the  revived  hope  of  still  saving  his 
companions,  Harry  turned  toward  the  channel,  half  inclined 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  13 

to  face  every  danger  rather  than  to  wait  any  longer.  At 
that  moment  the  fins  were  all  gliding  along  the  channel 
from  him,  and  in  the  same  direction.  Some  object  drew 
the  sharks  away  in  a  body,  and  the  young  mate  let  himself 
easily  into  the  water,  and  swam  as  noiselessly  as  he  could 
toward  the  boat. 

It  was  a  fearful  trial,  but  Mulford  felt  that  everything 
depended  on  his  success.  Stimulated  by  his  motive,  and 
strengthened  by  the  food  and  water  taken  an  hour  before, 
never  had  he  shown  so  much  skill  and  power  in  the  water. 
In  an  incredibly  short  period  he  was  half-way  across  the 
channel,  still  swimming  strong  and  unharmed.  A  few 
strokes  more  sent  him  so  near  the  boat  that  hope  took  full 
possession  of  his  soul,  and  he  shouted  in  exultation.  That 
indiscreet  but  natural  cry,  uttered  so  near  the  surface  of 
the  sea,  turned  every  shark  upon  him,  as  the  pack  springs 
at  the  fox  in  view.  Mulford  was  conscious  of  the  folly  of 
his  cry  the  instant  it  escaped  him,  and  involuntarily  he 
turned  his  head  to  note  the  effect  on  his  enemies.  Every 
fin  was  gliding  toward  him — a  dark  array  of  swift  and  furi 
ous  foes.  Ten  thousand  bayonets,  levelled  in  their  line, 
could  not  have  been  one-half  as  terrible,  and  the  efforts  of 
the  young  man  became  nearly  frantic.  But  strong  as  he 
was,  and  ready  in  the  element,  what  is  the  movement  of  a 
man  in  the  water  compared  to  that  of  a  vigorous  and 
voracious  fish  ?  Mulford  could  see  those  fins  corning  on  like 
a  tempest,  and  he  had  just  given  up  all  hope,  and  was  feel 
ing  his  flesh  creep  with  terror,  when  his  foot  hit  the  rock. 
Giving  himself  an  onward  plunge,  he  threw  his  body 
upward  toward  the  boat,  and  into  so  much  shoaler  water, 
at  least  a  dozen  feet  by  that  single  effort.  Recovering  his 
legs  as  soon  as  possible,  he  turned  to  look  behind  him. 
The  water  seemed  alive  with  fins,  each  pair  gliding  back 
and  forth,  as  the  bull-dog  bounds  in  front  of  the  ox's  muz- 
zle.  Just  then  a  light-coloured  object  glanced  past  the 
young  man,  so  near  as  almost  to  touch  him.  It  was  a 
shark  that  had  actually  turned  on  its  back  to  seize  its  prey, 
and  was  only  prevented  from  succeeding  by  being  driven 
from  the  line  of  its  course  by  hitting  the  slimy  rock,  over 
which  it  was  compelled  to  make  its  plunge.  The  momen 
tum  with  which  it  came  on,  added  to  the  inclination  of  the 

VOL.  II.— 2 


14  JACK   TIER; 

rock,  forced  the  head  and  half  of  the  body  of  this  terrible 
assailant  into  the  air,  giving  the  intended  victim  an  oppor 
tunity  of  seeing  from  what  a  fate  he  had  escaped.  Mulford 
avoided  this  fish  without  much  trouble,  however,  and  the 
next  instant  he  threw  himself  into  the  boat,  on  the  bottom 
of  which  he  lay  panting  with  the  violence  of  his  exertions, 
and  unable  to  move  under  the  reaction  which  now  came 
over  his  system. 

The  mate  lay  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  exhausted  and 
unable  to  rise,  for  several  minutes ;  during  that  space  ht 
devoutly  returned  thanks  to  God  for  his  escape,  and  be 
thought  him  of  the  course  he  was  next  to  pursue,  in  ordei 
to  effect  the  rescue  of  his  companions.  The  boat  was 
larger  than  common.  It  was  also  well  equipped — -a  mast 
and  sail  lying  along  with  the  oars,  on  its  thwarts.  The 
rock  placed  Harry  to  windward  of  the  wreck,  and  by  the 
time  he  felt  sufficiently  revived  to  rise  and  look  about  him, 
his  plan  of  proceeding  was  fully  arranged  in  his  own  mind. 
Among  other  things  that  he  saw,  as  he  still  lay  in  the  bot- 
lom  of  the  boat,  was  a  breaker  which  he  knew  contained 
fresh  water,  and  a  bread-bag.  These  were  provisions  that 
it  was  customary  for  the  men  to  make,  when  employed  on 
boat  duty;  and  the  articles  had  been  left  where  he  now 
saw  them,  in  the  hurry  of  the  movements,  as  the  brig  quitted 
the  islets. 

Harry  rose  the  instant  he  felt  his  strength  returning. 
Striking  the  breaker  with  his  foot,  and  feeling  the  basket 
with  a  hand,  he  ascertained  that  the  one  held  its  water,  and 
the  other  its  bread.  This  was  immense  relief,  for  by  this 
time  the  sufferings  of  the  party  on  the  wreck  must  be  re 
turning  with  redoubled  force.  The  mate  then  stepped  the 
mast,  and  fitted  the  sprit  to  the  sail,  knowing  that  the  latter 
would  be  seen  fluttering  in  the  wind  by  those  on  the  wreck, 
and  carry  joy  to  their  hearts.  After  this  considerate  act, 
he  began  to  examine  into  the  position  of  the  boat.  It  was 
still  aground,  having  been  left  by  the  tide;  but  the  water 
had  already  risen  several  inches,  and  by  placing  himself 
on  a  gunwale,  so  as  to  bring  the  boat  on  its  bilge,  and  push 
ing  with  an  oar,  he  soon  got  it  into  de-ep  water.  It  only 
remained  to  haul  aft  the  sheet,  and  right  the  helm,  to  be 
standing  through  the  channel,  at  a  rate  that  promised  a 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  15 

speedy  deliverance   to   his   friends,  and,  most   of  all,   to 
Rose. 

Mulforcl  glanced  past  the  rocks  and  shoals,  attended  by 
the  whole  company  of  the  sharks.  They  moved  before, 
behind,  and  on  each  side  of  him,  as  if  unwilling  to  aban 
don  their  prey,  even  after  he  had  got  beyond  the  limits  of 
their  power  to  do  him  harm.  It  was  not  an  easy  thing  to 
manage  the  boat  in  that  narrow  and  crooked  channel,  with 
no  other  guide  for  the  courses  than  the  eye,  and  it  required 
so  much  of  the  mate's  vigilance  to  keep  clear  of  the  sharp 
angles  of  the  rocks,  that  he  could  not  once  cast  his  eyes 
aside,  to  look  for  the  fluttering  shawl,  which  now  composed 
the  standing  signal  of  the  wreck.  At  length  the  boat  shot 
through  the  last  passage  of  the  reef,  and  issued  into  open 
water.  Mulford  knew  that  he  must  come  out  half  a  mile 
at  least  to  leeward  of  his  object,  and,  without  even  raising 
his  head,  he  flattened  in  the  sheet,  put  his  helm  down,  and 
luffed  close  to  the  wind.  Then,  and  then  only,  did  he  ven 
ture  to  look  around  him. 

Our  male  felt  his  heart  leap  toward  his  mouth,  as  ho 
observed  the  present  state  of  the  wreck.  It  was  dead  to 
windward  of  him,  in  the  first  place,  and  it  seemed  to  be 
entirely  submerged.  He  saw  the  shawl  fluttering  as  before ; 
for  Tier  had  fastened  one  corner  to  a  button-hole  of  his 
own  jacket,  and  another  to  the  dress  of  Biddy,  leaving  the 
part  which  might  be  called  the  fly,  to  rise  at  moments 
almost  perpendicularly  in  the  air,  in  a  way  to  render  it 
visible  at  some  distance.  He  saw  also  the  heads  and  the 
bodies  of  those  on  the  schooner's  bottom,  but  to  him  they 
appeared  to  be  standing  in,  or  on,  the  water.  The  dis 
tance  may  have  contributed  a  little  to  this  appearance,  but 
no  doubt  remained  that  so  much  air  had  escaped  from  the 
hold  of  the  vessel,  as  to  permit  it  to  sink  altogether  beneath 
the  surface  of  the  sea.  It  was  time,  indeed,  to  proceed  to 
the  relief  of  the  sufferers. 

Notwithstanding  the  boat  sailed  particularly  fast,  and 
worked  beautifully,  it  could  not  equal  the  impatience  of 
Mulford  to  get  on.  Passing  away  to  the  north-east  a  suf 
ficient  distance,  as  he  thought,  to  weather  on  the  wreck, 
the  young  man  tacked  at  last,  and  had  the  happiness  to  see 
that  every  foot  he  proceeded  was  now  in  a  direct  line  to 
ward  Rose.  It  was  only  while  tacking  he  perceived  that 


16  JACKTIER; 

all  the  fins  had  disappeared.  He  felt  little  doubt  that  they 
had  deserted  him,  in  order  to  push  for  the  wreck,  which 
offered  so  much  larger,  and  so  much  more  attainable  prey. 
This  increased  his  feverish  desire  to  get  on,  the  boat  seem 
ing  to  drag,  in  his  eyes,  at  the  very  moment  it  was  leaving 
a.  wake  full  of  eddies  and  little  whirlpools.  The  wind  was 
steady,  but  it  seemed  to  Mulford  that  the  boat  was  set  to 
leeward  of  her  course  by  a  current,  though  this  could 
hardly  have  been  the  case,  as  the  wreck,  the  sole  mark  of 
his  progress,  would  have  had  at  least  as  great  a  drift  as  the 
boat.  At  length  Mulford — to  him  it  appeared  to  be  an  age ; 
in  truth  it  was  after  a  run  of  about  twenty  minutes — came 
near  the  goal  he  so  earnestly  sought,  and  got  an  accurate 
view  of  the  state  of  the  wreck,  and  of  those  on  it.  The 
hull  of  the  schooner  had,  in  truth,  sunk  entirely  beneath 
the  surface  of  the  sea;  and  the  party  it  sustained  stood 
already  knee-deep  in  the  water.  This  was  sufficiently  ap 
palling  ;  but  the  presence  of  the  sharks,  who  were  crowding 
around  the  spot,  rendered  the  whole  scene  frightful.  To 
the  young  mate  it  seemed  as  if  he  must  still  be  too  late  to 
save  Rose  from  a  fate  more  terrible  than  drowning,  for  his 
boat  fell  so  far  to  leeward  as  to  compel  him  to  tack  once 
more.  As  he  swept  past  the  wreck,  he  called  out  to  en 
courage  his  friends,  begging  them  to  be  of  good  heart  for 
five  minutes  longer,  when  he  should  be  able  to  reach  them. 
Rose  held  out  her  arms  entreatingly,  and  the  screams  of 
Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy,  which  were  extorted  by  the  closer 
and  closer  approach  of  the  sharks,  proclaimed  the  immi- 
nency  of  the  danger  they  ran,  and  the  importance  of  not 
losing  a  moment  of  time. 

Mulford  took  his  distance  with  a  seaman's  eye,  and  the 
boat  went  about  like  a  top.  The  latter  fell  off,  and  the  sail 
filled  on  the  other  tack.  Then  the  young  mariner  saw, 
with  a  joy  no  description  can  pour  tray,  that  he  looked  to 
windward  of  the  fluttering  shawl,  toward  which  his  little 
craft  was  already  flying.  He  afterward  believed  that  shawl 
alone  prevented  the  voracious  party  of  fish  from  assailing 
those  on  the  wreck,  for,  though  there  might  riot  yet  be  suf 
ficient  depth  of  water  to  allow  of  their  customary  mode  of 
attack,  creatures  of  their  voracity  did  not  always  wait  for 
such  conveniences.  But  the  boat  was  soon  in  the  midst 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  17 

of  the  fins,  scattering  them  in  all  directions;  and  Mulford 
let  go  his  sheet,  put  his  helm  down,  and  sprang  forward  to 
catch  the  extended  arms  of  Rose. 

It  might  have  been  accident,  or  it  might  have  been  the 
result  of  skill  and  interest  in  our  heroine,  but  certain  it  is, 
that  the  bows  of  the  boat  came  on  the  wreck  precisely  at 
the  place  where  Rose  stood,  and  her  hand  was  the  first  ob 
ject  that  the  young  man  touched. 

"  Take  my  aunt  first,"  cried  Rose,  resisting  Mulford's 
efforts  to  lift  her  into  the  boat ;  "  she  is  dreadfully  alarmed, 
and  can  stand  with  difficulty." 

Although  two  of  Rose's  activity  and  lightness  might  have 
been  drawn  into  the  boat,  while  the  process  was  going  on 
in  behalf  of  the  widow,  Mulford  lost  no  time  in  discussion, 
but  did  as  he  was  desired.  First  directing  Tier  to  hold  on 
to  the  painter,  he  applied  his  strength  to  the  arms  of  Mrs. 
Budd,  and,  assisted  by  Rose  and  Biddy,  got  her  safely  into 
the  boat,  over  its  bows.  Rose  now  waited  not  for  assist 
ance,  but  followed  her  aunt  with  a  haste  that  proved  fear 
lent  her  strength  in  despite  her  long  fast.  Biddy  came 
next,  though  clumsily,  and  not  without  trouble,  and  Jack 
Tier  followed  the  instant  he  was  permitted  so  to  do.  Of 
course,  the  boat,  no  longer  held  by  its  painter,  drifted  away 
from  the  spot,  and  the  hull  of  the  schooner,  relieved  from 
the  weight  of  four  human  beings,  rose  so  near  the  surface 
again  as  to  bring  a  small  line  of  its  keel  out  of  water.  No 
better  evidence  could  have  been  given  of  the  trifling  power 
which  sustained  it,  and  of  the  timely  nature  of  the  succour 
brought  by  Mulford.  Had  the  boat  remained  near  the 
schooner,  it  would  have  been  found  half  an  hour  later  that 
the  hull  had  sunk  slowly  out  of  sight,  finding  its  way, 
doubtless,  inch  by  inch,  toward  the  bottom  of  the  Gulf. 

By  this  time  the  sun  was  well  up,  and  the  warmth  of  the 
hour,  season,  and  latitude,  was  shed  on  the  sufferers. 
There  was  an  old  sail  in  the  boat,  and  in  this  the  party 
dried  their  limbs  and  feet,  which  were  getting  to  be  numb 
by  their  long  immersion.  Then  the  mate  produced  the 
bag  and  opened  it,  in  quest  of  bread.  A  small  portion  was 
given  to  each,  and,  on  looking  farther,  the  mate  discovered 
that  a  piece  of  boiled  ship's  beef  had  been  secreted  in  this 
receptacle.  Of  this  also  he  gave  each  a  moderate  slice, 
2* 


18  JACK  TIER; 

taking  a  larger  portion  for  himself,  as  requiring  less  precau 
tion.  The  suffering  of  the  party  from  hunger  was  far  less 
than  that  they  endured  from  thirst.  Neither  had  been 
endured  long  enough  seriously  to  enfeeble  them  or  render 
a  full  meal  very  dangerous,  but  the  thirst  had  been  much 
the  hardest  to  be  borne.  Of  this  fact  Biddy  soon  gave 
audible  evidence. 

"  The  mate  is  good,"  she  said,  "  and  the  bread  tastes 
swate  and  refreshing,  but  wather  is  a  blessed  thing.  Can 
you  no  give  us  one  dhrap  of  the  wather  that  falls  from  hea 
ven,  Mr.  Mulford ;  for  this  wather  of  the  saa  is  of  no  use 
but  to  drown  Christians  in  1" 

In  an  instant  the  mate  had  opened  a  breaker,  and  filled 
the  tin  pot  which  is  almost  always  to  be  found  in  a  boat. 
Biddy  said  no  more,  but  her  eyes  pleaded  so  eloquently, 
that  Rose  begged  the  faithful  creature  might  have  the  first 
drink.  One  eager  swallow  went  down,  and  then  a  cry  of 
disappointment  succeeded.  The  water  was  salt,  and  had 
been  put  in  the  breaker  for  ballast.  The  other  breaker 
was  tried  with  the  same  success. 

"  It  is  terrible  to  be  without  one  drop  of  water,"  mur 
mured  Rose,  "  and  this  food  makes  it  more  necessary  than 
ever." 

"Patience,  patience,  dearest  Rose  —  patience  for  ten 
minutes,  and  you  shall  all  drink,"  answered  the  mate,  filling 
the  sail  and  keeping  the  boat  away  while  speaking.  "  There 
is  water,  God  be  praised,  on  the  rock  to  which  I  first  swam, 
and  we  will  secure  it  before  another  day's  sun  help  to  make 
it  evaporate." 

This  announcement  quieted  the  longings  of  those  who 
endured  a  thirst  which  disappointment  rendered  doubly 
hard  to  bear;  and  away  the  boat  glided  toward  the  rock. 
As  he  now  flew  over  the  distance,  lessened  more  than  one- 
half  by  the  drift  of  the  wreck,  Mulford  recalled  the  scene 
through  which  he  had  so  painfully  passed  the  previous  night. 
As  often  happens,  he  shuddered  at  the  recollection  of  things 
which,  at  the  moment,  a  desperate  resolution  had  enabled 
him  to  encounter  with  firmness.  Still,  he  thought  nothing 
less  than  the  ardent  desire  to  save  Rose  could  have  carried 
him  through  the  trial  with  the  success  which  attended  hia 
struggles.  The  dear  being  at  his  side  asked  a  few  expla- 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  19 

nations  of  what  had  passed ;  and  she  bowed  her  head  and 
wept,  equally  with  pain  and  delight,  as  imagination  pictured 
to  her  the  situation  of  her  betrothed,  amid  that  waste  of 
water,  with  his  fearful  companions,  and  all  in  the  hours  of 
deep  night. 

But  that  was  over  now.  There  was  the  rock — the  blessed 
rock  on  which  Mulford  had  so  accidentally  struck,  close 
before  them — and  presently  they  were  all  on  it.  The  mate 
took  the  pot  and  ran  to  the  little  reservoir,  returning  with 
a  sweet  draught  for  each  of  the  party. 

"  A  blessed,  blessed  thing,  is  wather  !"  exclaimed  Biddy, 
this  time  finding  the  relief  she  sought,  "  and  a  thousand 
blessings  on  you,  Mr.  Mulford,  who  have  niver  done  us 
anything  but  good." 

Rose  looked  a  still  higher  eulogy  on  the  young  man, 
and  even  Mrs.  Budd  had  something  commendatory  and 
grateful  to  say.  Jack  Tier  was  silent,  but  he  had  all  his 
eyes  about  him;  as  he  now  proved. 

"  We  've  all  on  us  been  so  much  taken  up  with  our  own 
affairs,"  remarked  the  steward's  assistant,  "that  we've 
taken  but  little  notice  of  the  neighbourhood.  If  that  is  n't 
the  brig,  Mr.  Mulford,  running  through  this  very  passage, 
with  stun'satfs  set  alow  and  aloft,  I  don't  know  the  Molly 
Swash  when  I  see  her !" 

"  The  brig !"  exclaimed  the  mate,  recollecting  the  vessels 
he  had  seen  at  the  break-of-day,  for  the  first  time  in  hours. 
"  Can  it  be  possible  that  the  craft  I  made  out  to  the  south 
ward,  is  the  brig?" 

"  Look,  and  judge  for  yourself,  sir.  There  she  comes, 
like  a  race-horse,  and  if  she  holds  her  present  course,  she 
must  pass  somewhere  within  a  mile  or  so  of  us,  if  we  stay 
where  we  are." 

Mulford  did  look,  as  did  all  with  him.  There  was  the 
Swash,  sure  enough,  coming  down  before  the  wind,  and 
under  a  cloud  of  canvas.  She  might  be  still  a  league,  or 
a  league  and  a  half  distant,  but,  at  the  rate  at  which  she 
was  travelling,  that  distance  would  soon  be  past.  She  was 
running  through  the  passage,  no  doubt  with  a  view  to  pro 
ceed  to  the  Dry  Tortugas,  to  look  after  the  schooner,  Spike 
having  the  hope  that  he  had  dodged  his  pursuers  on  the 
coast  of  Cuba.  The  mate  now  looked  for  the  ship,  in  the 


20  JACK   TIER; 

north-western  board,  believing,  as  he  did,  that  she  was  the 
sloop-of-war.  That  vessel  had  gone  about,  and  was  stand 
ing  to  the  southward,  on  a  taut  bowline.  She  was  still  a 
long  way  off,  three  or  four  leagues  at  least,  but  the  change 
she  had  made  in  her  position,  since  last  seen,  proved  that 
she  was  a  great  sailer.  Then  she  was  more  than  hull  down, 
whereas,  now,  she  was  near  enough  to  let  the  outline  of  a 
long,  straight  fabric  be  discovered  beneath  her  canvas. 

"  It  is  hardly  possible  that  Spike  should  not  see  the  vessel 
here  in  the  northern  board,"  Mulford  observed  to  Tier, 
who  had  been  examining  the  ship  with  him.  "  The  look 
out  is  usually  good  on  board  the  Swash,  and,  just  now, 
should  certainly  be  as  good  as  common.  Spike  is  no  daw 
dler  with  serious  business  before  him." 
"  He's  a  willain  !"  muttered  Jack  Tier. 
The  mate  regarded  his  companion  with  some  surprise. 
Jack  was  a  very  insignificant-looking  person  age  in  common, 
and  one  would  scarcely  pause  to  give  him  a  second  look, 
unless  it  might  be  to  laugh  at  his  rotundity  and  little  wad 
dling  legs.  But,  now,  the  mate  fancied  he  was  swelling 
with  feelings  that  actually  imparted  somewhat  more  than 
usual  stature  and  dignity  to  his  appearance.  His  face  was 
full  of  indignation,  and  there  was  something  about  the  eye, 
that  to  Mulford  was  inexplicable.  As  Rose,  however,  had 
related  to  him  the  scene  that  took  place  on  the  islet,  at  the 
moment  when  Spike  was  departing,  the  mate  supposed  that 
Jack  still  felt  a  portion  of  the  resentment  that  such  a  col 
lision  would  be  apt  to  create.  From  the  expression  of 
Jack's  countenance  at  that  instant,  it  struck  him  Spike 
might  not  be  exactly  safe,  should  accident  put  it  in  the 
power  of  the  former  to  do  him  an  injury. 

It  was  now  necessary  to  decide  on  the  course  that  ought 
to  be  pursued.  The  bag  contained  sufficient  food  to  last 
the  party  several  days,  and  a  gallon  of  water  still  remained 
in  the  cavity  of  the  rock.  This  last  was  collected  and  put 
in  one  of  the  breakers,  which  was  emptied  of  the  salt  water 
in  order  to  receive  it.  As  water,  however,  was  the  great 
necessity  in  that  latitude,  Mulford  did  not  deem  it  prudent 
to  set  sail  with  so  small  a  supply,  and  he  accordingly  com 
menced  a  search,  on  some  of  the  adjacent  rocks,  Jack  Tier 
accompanying  him.  They  succeeded  in  doubling  their  stock 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  21 

of  water,  and  collected  several  shell-fish,  that  the  females 
found  exceedingly  grateful  and  refreshing.  On  the  score  of 
hunger  and  thirst,  indeed,  no  one  was  now  suffering.  By 
judiciously  sipping  a  little*  water*  at  a  time,  and  retaining  it 
in  the  mouth  before  swallowing,  the  latter  painful  feeling 
had  been  gotten  rid  of;  and  as  for  food,  there  was  even 
more  than  was  actually  needed,  and  that  of  a  very  good 
quality.  It  is  probable  that  standing  in  the  water  for  hours, 
as  Rose,  and  her  aunt,  and  Biddy  had  been  obliged  to  do, 
had  contributed  to  lessen  the  pain  endured  from  thirst, 
though  they  had  all  suffered  a  good  deal  from  that  cause, 
especially  while  the  sun  shone. 

Mulford  and  Tier  were  half  an  hour  in  obtaining  the 
water.  By  the  end  of  that  period  the  brigantine  was  so 
near  as  to  render  her  hull  distinctly  visible.  It  was  high 
time  to  decide  on  their  future  course.  The  sail  had  been 
brailed  when  the  boat  reached  the  rock,  and  the  boat  itself 
lay  on  the  side  of  the  latter  opposite  to  the  brig,  and  where 
no  part  of  it  could  be  seen  to  those  on  board  the  Swash, 
with  the  exception  of  the  mast.  Under  the  circumstances, 
therefore,  Mulford  thought  it  wisest  to  remain  where  they 
were,  and  let  the  vessel  pass,  before  they  attempted  to  pro 
ceed  toward  Key  West,  their  intended  place  of  refuge.  In 
order  to  do  this,  however,  it  was  necessary  to  cause  the 
whole  party  to  lie  down,  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  hid  by 
the  inequalities  in  the  rock,  as  it  was  now  very  evident  the 
brig  would  pass  within  half  a  mile  of  them.  Hitherto,  it 
was  not  probable  that  they  had  been  seen,  and  by  using  due 
caution,  the  chances  of  Spike's  overlooking  them  altogether 
amounted  nearly  to  certainty. 

The  necessary  arrangements  were  soon  made,  the  boat's 
masts  unstepped,  the  party  placed  behind  their  covers,  and 
the  females  comfortably  bestowed  in  the  spare  sail,  where 
they  might  got  a  little  undisturbed  sleep  after  the  dreadful 
night,  or  morning,  they  had  passed.  Even  Jack  Tier  lay 
down  to  catch  his  nap,  as  the  most  useful  manner  of  bestow 
ing  himself  for  a  couple  of  hours;  the  time  Mulford  had 
mentioned  as  the  period  of  their  stay  where  they  were. 

As  for  the  mate,  vigilance  was  his  portion,  and  he  took 
his  position,  hid  like  all  the  rest,  where  he  could  watch  the 
movements  of  his  old  craft.  In  about  twenty  minutes,  the 


22  JACK  TIER; 

brig  was  quite  near ;  so  near  that  Mulford  not  only  saw 
the  people  on  board  her,  who  showed  themselves  in  the 
rigging,  but  fancied  he  could  recognise  their  persons.  As 
yet,  nothing  had  occurred,  in  the  way  of  change,  but,  just 
as  the  Swash  got  abreast  of  the  rock,  she  began  to  take  in 
her  studding-sails,  and  that  hurriedly,  as  is  apt  to  occur  on 
board  a  vessel  in  sudden  emergencies.  Our  young  man 
was  a  little  alarmed  at  first,  believing  that  they  might  have 
been  discovered,  but  he  was  soon  induced  to  think  that  the 
crew  of  the  brigantine  had  just  then  begun  to  suspect  the 
character  of  the  ship  to  the  northward.  That  vessel  had 
been  drawing  near  all  this  time,  and  was  now  only  some 
three  leagues  distant.  Owing  to  the  manner  in  which  she 
headed,  or  bows  on,  it  was  not  a  very  easy  matter  to  tell 
the  character  of  this  stranger,  though  the  symmetry  and 
squareness  of  his  yards  rendered  it  nearly  certain  he  was 
a  cruiser.  Though  Spike  could  not  expect  to  meet  his  old 
acquaintance  here,  after  the  chase  he  had  so  lately  led  her, 
down  on  the  opposite  coast,  he  might  and  would  have  his 
misgivings,  and  Mulford  thought  it  was  his  intention  to 
haul  up  cloSe  round  the  northern  angle  of  the  reef,  and 
maintain  his  advantage  of  the  wind,  over  the  stranger.  If 
this  were  actually  done,  it  might  expose  the  boat  to  view, 
for  the  brig  would  pass  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  it,  and 
on  the  side  of  the  rock  on  which  it  lay.  It  was  too  late, 
however,  to  attempt  a  change,  since  the  appearance  of 
human  beings  in  such  a  place  would  be  certain  to  draw  the 
brig's  glasses  on  them,  and  the  glasses  must  at  once  let 
Spike  know  who  they  were.  It  remained,  therefore,  only 
to  await  the  result  as  patiently  as  possible. 

A  very  few  minutes  removed  all  doubt.  The  brig  hauled 
as  close  round  the  reef  as  she  dared  to  venture,  and  in  a 
very  short  time  the  boat  lay  exposed  to  view  to  all  on  board 
her.  The  vessel  was  now  so  near  that  Mulford  plainly  saw 
the  boatswain  get  upon  the  coach-house,  or  little  hurricane- 
house  deck,  where  Spike  stood  examining  the  ship  with 
his  glass,  and  point  out  the  boat,  where  it  lay  at  the  side 
of  the  rock.  In  an  instant,  the  glass  was  levelled  at  the 
spot,  and  the  movements  on  board  the  brig  immediately 
betrayed  to  Mulford  that  the  boat  was  recognised.  Sail 
was  shortened  on  board  the  Swash,  and  men  were  seen 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF. 

preparing  to  lower  her  stern  boat,  while  everything  indi 
cated  that  the  vessel  was  about  to  be  hove-to.  There  was 
no  time  now  to  be  lost,  but  the  young  man  immediately 
gave  the  alarm. 

No  sooner  did  the  party  arise  and  show  themselves,  than 
the  crew  of  the  Swash  gave  three  cheers.  By  the  aid  of 
the  glass,  Spike  doubtless  recognised  their  persons,  and 
the  fact  was  announced  to  the  men,  by  way  of  stimulating 
their  exertions.  This  gave  an  additional  spur  to  the  move 
ments  of  those  on  the  rock,  who  hastened  into  their  own 
boat,  and  made  sail  as  soon  as  possible. 

It  was  far  easier  to  do  all  that  has  been  described,  than 
to  determine  on  the  future  course.  Capture  was  certain 
if  the  fugitives  ventured  into  the  open  water,  and  their 
only  hope  was  to  remain  on  the  reef.  If  channels  for  the 
passage  of  the  boat  could  be  found,  escape  was  highly  pro 
bable,  as  the  schooner's  boat  could  sail  much  faster  than 
the  brig's  boat  could  row,  fast  as  Mulford  knew  the  last  to 
be.  But  the  experience  of  the  morning  had  told  the  mate 
that  the  rock  rose  too  near  the  surface,  in  many  places,  for 
the  boat,  small  as  it  was,  to  pass  over  it ;  and  he  must  trust 
a  great  deal  to  chance.  Away  he  went,  however,  stand 
ing  along  a  narrow  channel,  through  which  the  wind  just 
permitted  him  to  lay,  with  the  sail  occasionally  shaking. 

By  this  time  the  Swash  had  her  boat  in  the  water, 
manned  with  four  powerful  oars,  Spike  steering  it  in  his 
own  person.  Our  young  mate  placed  Tier  in  the  bows,  to 
point  out  the  deepest  water,  and  kept  his  sail  a  rap  full,  in 
order  to  get  ahead  as  fast  as  possible.  Ahead  he  did  get, 
but  it  was  on  a  course  that  soon  brought  him  out  in  the 
open  water  of  the  main  passage  through  the  reef,  leaving 
Spike  materially  astern.  The  latter  now  rose  in  his  boat, 
and  made  a  signal  with  his  hat,  which  the  boatswain  per 
fectly  understood.  The  Latter  caused  the  brig  to  ware  short 
round  on  her  heel,  and  boarded  his  foretack  in  chase,  haul 
ing  up  into  the  passage  as  soon  as  he  could  again  round 
the  reef.  Mulford  soon  saw  that  it  would  never  do  for  him 
to  venture  far  from  the  rocks,  the  brig  going  two  feet  to 
his  one,  though  not  looking  quite  as  high  as  he  did  in  the 
boat.  But  the  Swash  had  her  guns,  and  it  was  probable 
they  would  be  used  rather  than  he  should  escape.  When 


JA.CKTIER; 

distant  two  hundred  yards  from  the  reef,  therefore,  he 
tacked.  The  new  course  brought  the  fugitives  nearly  at 
right  angles  to  that  steered  by  Spike5  who  stood  directly  on, 
as  if  conscious  that,  sooner  or  later,  such  a  rencounter 
must  occur.  It  would  seem  that  the  tide  was  setting  through 
the  passage,  for  when  the  boat  of  Mulford  again  reached 
the  reef,  it  was  considerably  to  windward  of  the  channel 
out  of  which  she  had  issued,  and  opposite  to  another  which 
offered  very  opportunely  for  her  entrance.  Into  this  new 
channel,  then,  the  mate  somewhat  blindly  ran,  feeling  the 
necessity  of  getting  out  of  gun-shot  of  the  brig  at  every 
hazard.  She  at  least  could  not  follow  him  among  the  rocks, 
let  Spike,  in  his  boat,  proceed  as  he  might. 

According  to  appearances,  Spike  was  not  likely  to  be 
very  successful.  He  was  obliged  to  diverge  from  his  course, 
in  order  to  go  into  the  main  passage  at  the  very  point 
where  Mulford  had  just  before  done  the  same  thing,  and 
pull  along  the  reef  to  windward,  in  order  to  get  into  the 
new  channel,  into  which  the  boat  he  was  pursuing  had  just 
entered.  This  brought  him  not  only  astern  again,  but  a 
long  bit  astern,  inasmuch  as  he  was  compelled  to  make  the 
circuit  described.  On  he  went,  however,  as  eager  in  the 
chase  as  the  hound  with  his  game  in  view. 

Mulford's  boat  seemed  to  fly,  and  glided  ahead  at  least 
three  feet  to  that  of  Spike's  two.  The  direction  of  the 
channel  it  was  in,  brought  it  pretty  close  to  the  wind,  but 
the  water  was  quite  smooth,  and  our  mate  managed  to  keep 
the  sail  full,  and  his  little  craft  at  the  same  time  quite  near 
the  weatherly  side  of  the  rocks.  In  the  course  of  ten 
minutes  the  fugitives  were  fully  a  mile  from  the  brig,  which 
was  unable  to  follow  them,  but  kept  standing  off  and  on, 
in  the  main  passage,  waiting  the  result.  At  one  time  Mul 
ford  thought  the  channel  would  bring  him  out  into  open 
water  again,  on  the  northern  side  of  the  reef,  and  more 
than  a  mile  to  the  eastward  of  the  point  where  the  ship- 
channel  in  which  the  Swash  was  plying  commenced ;  but 
an  accidental  circumstance  prevented  his  standing  in  far 
enough  to  ascertain  the  fact.  That  circumstance  was  as 
follows : 

In  running  a  mile  and  a  half  over  the  reef,  in  the  man 
ner  described,  Mulford  had  left  the  boat  of  Spike  quite  half 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  25 

a  mile  astern.  He  was  now  out  of  gun-shot  from  the  brig, 
or  at  least  beyond  the  range  of  her  grape,  the  only  missile 
he  feared,  and  so  far  to  windward  that  he  kept  his  eye  on 
every  opening  to  the  southward,  which  he  fancied  might 
allow  of  his  making  a  stretch  deeper  into  the  mazes  of  the 
reef,  among  which  he  believed  it  easiest  for  him  to  escape, 
and  to  weary  the  oarsmen  of  his  pursuers.  Two  or  three 
of  these  openings  offered  as  he  glided  along,  but  it  struck 
him  that  they  all  looked  so  high  that  the  boat  would  not 
lay  through  them — an  opinion  in  which  he  was  right.  At 
length  he  came  abreast  of  one  that  seemed  straight  and 
clear  of  obstacles  as  far  as  he  could  see,  and  through  which 
he  might  run  with  a  flowing  sheet.  Down  went  his  helm, 
and  about  went  his  boat,  running  away  to  the  southward  as 
fast  as  ever. 

Had  Spike  followed,  doubled  the  same  shoal,  and  kept 
away  again  in  the  same  channel  as  had  been  done  by  the 
boat  he  chased,  all  his  hopes  of  success  must  have  vanished 
at  once.  This  he  did  not  attempt,  therefore;  but,  sheering 
into  one  of  the  openings  which  the  mate  had  rejected,  he 
cut  off  quite  half  a  mile  in  his  distance.  This  was  easy 
enough  for  him  to  accomplish,  as  a  row-boat  would  pull 
even  easier,  near  to  the  wind,  than  with  the  wind  broad  on 
its  bow.  In  consequence  of  this  short  cut,  therefore,  Spike 
was  actually  crossing  out  into  Mulford's  new  channel,  just 
as  the  latter  had  handsomely  cleared  the  mouth  of  the 
opening  through  which  he  effected  his  purpose. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  the  two  boats  must 
have  been  for  a  few  minutes  quite  near  to  each  other;  so 
near,  indeed,  did  the  fugitives  now  pass  to  their  pursuers, 
that  it  would  have  been  easy  for  them  to  have  conversed, 
had  they  been  so  disposed.  Not  a  word  was  spoken,  how 
ever,  but  Mulford  went  by,  leaving  Spike  about  a  hundred 
yards  astern.  This  was  a  trying  moment  to  the  latter,  and 
the  devil  tempted  him  to  seek  his  revenge.  He  had  not 
come  unarmed  on  his  enterprise,  but  three  or  four  loaded 
muskets  lay  in  the  stern-sheets  of  his  yawl.  He  looked  at 
his  men,  and  saw  that  they  could  not  hold  out  much  longer 
to  pull  as  they  had  been  pulling.  Then  he  looked  at  Mul 
ford's  boat,  and  saw  it  gliding  away  fram  him  at  a  rate  that 
would  shortly  place  it  another  half  mile  in  advance.  He 

VOL.  II.— 3 


26  JACK   TIER; 

seized  a  musket,  and  raised  it  to  his  shoulder,  nay,  was  in 
the  act  of  taking  aim  at  his  mate,  when  Rose,  who  watched 
his  movements,  threw  herself  before  Harry,  and  if  she  did 
not  actually  save  his  life,  at  least  prevented  Spike's  attempt 
on  it  for  that  occasion.  In  the  course  of  the  next  ten 
minutes  the  fugitives  had  again  so  far  gained  on  their  pur 
suers,  that  the  latter  began  to  see  that  their  efforts  were 
useless.  Spike  muttered  a  few  bitter  curses,  and  told  his 
men  to  lay  on  their  oars. 

"  It's  well  for  the  runaway,"  he  added,  "  that  the  gal  put 
herself  between  us,  else  would  his  grog  have  been  stopped 
for  ever.  I've  long  suspected  this;  but  had  I  been  sure 
of  it,  the  Gulf  Stream  would  have  had  the  keeping  of  his 
body,  the  first  dark  night  we  were  in  it  together.  Lay  on 
your  oars,  men,  lay  on  your  oars;  I'm  afeared  the  villian 
will  get  through  our  fingers,  a'ter  all." 

The  men  obeyed,  and  then,  for  the  first  time,  did  they 
turn  their  heads,  to  look  at  those  they  had  been  so  vehe 
mently  pursuing.  The  other  boat  was  quite  half  a  mile 
from  them,  and  it  had  again  tacked.  This  last  occurrence 
induced  Spike  to  pull  slowly  ahead,  in  quest  of  another 
short  passage  to  cut  the  fugitives  off;  but  no  such  opening 
offered. 

"  There  he  goes  about  again,  by  George !"  exclaimed 
Spike.  " Give  way,  lads  —  give  way;  an  easy  stroke,  for 
if  he  is  embayed,  he  can't  escape  us!" 

Sure  enough,  poor  Mulford  was  embayed,  and  could  see 
no  outlet  by  which  to  pass  ahead.  He  tacked  his  boat  two 
or  three  times,  and  he  wore  round  as  often ;  but  on  every 
side  shoals,  or  rocks  that  actually  rose  above  the  surface 
of  the  water,  impeded  his  course.  The  fact  was  not  to  be 
concealed ;  after  all  his  efforts,  and  so  many  promises  of 
success,  not  only  was  his  further  progress  ahead  cut  off, 
but  equally  so  was  retreat.  The  passage  was  not  wide 
enough  to  admit  the  hope  of  getting  by  his  pursuers,  and 
the  young  man  came  to  the  conclusion  that  his  better  course 
was  to  submit  with  dignity  to  his  fate.  For  himself  he  had 
no  hope — he  knew  Spike's  character  too  well  for  that ;  but 
he  did  not  apprehend  any  great  immediate  danger  to  his 
companions.  Spike  had  a  coarse,  brutal  admiration  for 
Rose  !  but  her  expected  fortune,  which  was  believed  to  be 


O  R ,    T  1 1  E     FLORIDA     REEF.  27 

of  more  amount  than  was  actually  the  case,  was  a  sort  of 
pledge  that  he  would  not  willingly  put  himself  in  a  situation 
that  would  prevent  the  possibility  of  enjoying  it.  Strange, 
hurried,  and  somewhat  confused  thoughts  passed  through 
Harry  Mulford's  mind,  as  he  brailed  his  sail,  and  waited 
for  his  captors  to  approach  and  take  possession  of  his  boat 
and  himself.  This  was  done  quietly,  and  with  very  few 
words  on  the  part  of  Spike. 

Mulford  would  have  liked  the  appearance  of  things  better 
had  his  old  commander  cursed  him,  and  betrayed  other 
signs  of  the  fury  that  was  boiling  in  his  very  soul.  On  the 
contrary,  never  had  Stephen  Spike  seemed  more  calm,  or 
under  better  self-command.  He  smiled,  and  saluted  Mrs. 
Budd,  just  as  if  nothing  unpleasant  had  occurred,  and  al 
luded  to  the  sharpness  of  the  chase  with  facetiousness  and 
seeming  good-humour.  The  females  were  deceived  by  this 
manner,  and  hoped,  after  all,  that  the  worst  that  would 
happen  would  be  a  return  to  their  old  position  on  board  the 
Swash.  This  was  being  so  much  better  off  than  their  hor 
rible  situation  on  the  wreck,  that  the  change  was  not 
frightful  to  them. 

"What  has  become  of  the  schooner,  Mr.  Mulford?" 
asked  Spike,  as  the  boats  began  to  pass  down  the  channel 
to  return  to  the  brig — two  of  the  Swash's  men  taking  their 
seats  in  that  which  had  been  cap-tured,  along  with  their 
commander,  while  the  other  two  got  a  tow  from  the  use 
of  the  sail.  "  I  see  you  have  the  boat  here  that  we  used 
alongside  of  her,  and  suppose  you  know  something  of  the 
craft  itself." 

"  She  capsized  with  us  in  a  squall,"  answered  the  mate, 
"  and  we  only  left  the  wreck  this  morning." 

"  Capsized  ! — hum — that  was  a  hard  fate,  to  be  sure,  and 
denotes  bad  seamanship.  Now  I've  sailed  all  sorts  of  craft 
these  forty  years,  or  five-and-thirty  at  least,  and  never  cap 
sized  anything  in  my  life.  Stand  by  there  for'ard  to  hold 
on  by  that  rock." 

A  solitary  cap  of  the  coral  rose  above  the  water  two  or 
three  feet,  close  to  the  channel,  and  was  the  rock  to  which 
Spike  alluded.  It  was  only  some  fifty  feet  in  diameter,  and 
of  an  oval  form,  rising  quite  above  the  ordinary  tides,  as 
was  apparent  by  its  appearance.  It  is  scarcely  necessary 


28  JACK-TIER; 

to  say  it  had  no  other  fresh  water  than  that  which  occa 
sionally  fell  on  its  surface,  which  surface  being  quite  smooth, 
retained  very  little  of  the  rain  it  received.  The  boat  was 
soon  alongside  of  this  rock,  where  it  was  held  broadside-to 
by  the  two  seamen. 

"  Mr.  M ulford,  do  me  the  favour  to  step  up  here,"  said 
Spike,  leading  the  way  on  to  the  rock  himself.  "  I  have  a 
word  to  say  to  you  before  we  get  on  board  the  old  Molly 
once  more." 

Mulford  silently  complied,  fully  expecting  that  Spike 
intended  to  blow  his  brains  out,  and  willing  the  bloody 
deed  should  be  done  in  a  way  to  be  as  little  shocking  to 
Rose  as  circumstances  would  allow.  But  Spike  manifested 
no  such  intention.  A  more  refined  cruelty  was  uppermost 
in  his  mind  ;  and  his  revenge  was  calculated,  and  took  care 
to  fortify  itself  with  some  of  the  quibbles  and  artifices  of 
the  law.  He  might  not  be  exactly  right  in  his  legal  reser 
vations,  but  he  did  not  the  less  rely  on  their  virtue. 

"  Hark  'e,  Mr.  Mulford,"  said  Spike,  sharply,  as  soon  as 
both  were  on  the  rock,  "  you  have  run  from  my  brig, 
thereby  showing  your  distaste  for  her ;  and  I  've  no  dispo 
sition  to  keep  a  man  who  wishes  to  quit  me.  Here  you 
are,  sir,  on  terrum  firm,  as  the  scholars  call  it;  and  here 
you  have  my  full  permission  to  remain.  I  wish  you  a  good 
morning,  sir ;  and  will  not  fail  to  report,  when  we  get  in, 
that  you  left  the  brig  of  your  own  pleasure." 

"  You  will  not  have  the  cruelty  to  abandon  me  on  this 
naked  rock,  Captain  Spike,  and  that  without  a  morsel  of 
food,  or  a  drop  of  water." 

"  Wather  is  a  blessed  thing !"  exclaimed  Biddy.  "  Do  not 
think  of  lavin'  the  gentleman  widout  wather." 

"  You  left  me,  sir,  without  food  or  water,  and  you  can 
fit  out  your  own  rock — yes,  d — e,  sir,  you  left  me  under  Jira, 
and  that  is  a  thing  no  true-hearted  man  would  have  thought 
of.  Stand  by  to  make  sail,  boys;  and  if  he  offer  to  enter 
the  boat,  pitch  him  out  with  the  boat-hooks." 

Spike  was  getting  angry,  and  he  entered  the  boat  again, 
without  perceiving  that  Rose  had  left  it.  Light  of  foot, 
and  resolute  of  spirit,  the  beautiful  girl,  handsomer  than 
ever  perhaps,  by  her  excited  feelings  and  dishevelled  hair, 
had  sprung  on  the  rock,  as  Spike  stepped  into  the  boat 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  29 

forward,  and  when  the  latter  turned  round,  after  loosening 
the  sail,  he  found  he  was  drifting  away  from  the  very  being 
who  was  the  object  of  all  his  efforts.  Muiford,  believing 
that  Rose  was  to  be  abandoned  as  well  as  himself,  received 
the  noble  girl  in  his  arms,  though  ready  to  implore  Spike, 
on  his  knees,  to  return  and  at  least  to  take  her  off.  But 
Spike  wanted  no  solicitation  on  that  point.  He  returned 
of  his  own  accord,  and  had  just  reached  the  rock  again 
when  a  report  of  a  gun  drew  all  eyes  toward  the  brig. 

The  Swash  had  again  run  out  of  the  passage,  and  was 
beating  up,  close  to  the  reef  as  she  dared  to  go,  with  a 
signal  flying.  All  the  seamen  at  once  understood  the  cause 
of  this  hint.  The  strange  sail  was  getting  too  near,  and 
everybody  could  see  that  it  was  the  sloop-of-war.  Spike 
looked  at  Rose,  a  moment,  in  doubt.  But  Muiford  raised 
his  beloved  in  his  arms,  and  carried  her  to  the  side  of  the 
rock,  stepping  on  board  the  boat. 

Spike  watched  the  movements  of  the  young  man  with 
jealous  vigilance,  and  no  sooner  was  Rose  placed  on  her 
seat,  than  he  motioned  significantly  to  the  mate  to  quit  the 
boat. 

"  I  cannot  and  will  not  voluntarily,  Captain  Spike," 
answered  Harry,  calmly.  "  It  would  be  committing  a  sort 
of  suicide." 

A  sign  brought  two  of  the  men  to  the  captain's  assistance. 
While  the  latter  held  Rose  in  her  place,  the  sailors  shoved 
Harry  on  the  rock  again.  Had  Muiford  been  disposed  to 
resist,  these  two  men  could  not  very  easily  have  ejected  him 
from  the  boat,  if  they  could  have  done  it  at  all ;  but  he  knew 
there  were  others  in  reserve,  and  feared  that  blood  might 
be  shed,  in  the  irritated  state  of  Spike,  in  the  presence  of 
Rose.  While,  therefore,  he  would  not  be  accessary  to  his 
own  destruction,  he  would  not  engage  in  what  he  knew 
would  prove  not  only  a  most  harassing,  but  a  bootless  resist 
ance.  The  consequence  was  that  the  boats  proceeded, 
leaving  him  alone  on  the  rock. 

It  was  perhaps  fortunate  for  Rose  that  she  fainted.  Her 
condition  occupied  her  aunt  and  Biddy,  and  Spike  was 
enabled  to  reach  his  brig  without  any  further  interruption. 
Rose  was  taken  on  board  still  nearly  insensible,  while  her 
two  female  companions  were  so  much  confused  and  dis- 


30  JACK  TIER; 

tressed,  that  neither  could  have  given  a  reasonably  clear 
account  of  what  had  just  occurred.  Not  so  with  Jack 
Tier,  however.  That  singular  being  noted  all  that  passed, 
seated  in  the  eyes  of  the  boat,  away  from  the  confusion 
that  prevailed  in  its  stern-sheets,  and  apparently  undisturbed 
by  it. 

As  the  party  was  sailing  back  toward  the  brig,  the  light 
house  boat  towing  the  Swash's  yawl,  Jack  took  as  good  an 
observation  of  the  channels  of  that  part  of  the  reef  as  his 
low  position  would  allow.  He  tried  to  form  in  his  mind  a 
sort  of  chart  of  the  spot,  for,  from  the  instant  Mulford  was 
thus  deserted,  the  little  fellow  had  formed  a  stern  resolution 
to  attempt  his  rescue.  How  that  was  to  be  done,  however, 
was  more  than  he  yet  knew ;  and  when  they  reached  the 
brig's  side,  Tier  may  be  said  to  have  been  filled  with  good 
intentions,  rather  than  with  any  very  available  knowledge 
to  enable  him  to  put  them  in  execution. 

As  respects  the  two  vessels,  the  arrival  of  Spike  on  board 
his  own  was  not  a  moment  too  soon.  The  Poughkeepsie, 
for  the  stranger  to  the  northward  was  now  ascertained  to 
be  that  sloop-of-war,  was  within  long  gun-shot  by  this  time, 
and  near  enough  to  make  certain,  by  means  of  her  glasses, 
of  the  character  of  the  craft  with  which  she  was  closing. 
Luckily  for  the  brig  she  lay  in  the  channel  so  often  men 
tioned,  and  through  which  both  she  and  her  present  pursuer 
had  so  lately  come,  on  their  way  to  the  northward.  This 
brought  her  to  windward,  as  the  wind  then  stood,  with  a 
clear  passage  before  her.  Not  a  moment  was  lost.  No 
sooner  were  the  females  sent  below,  than  sail  was  made  on 
the  brig,  and  she  began  to  beat  through  the  passage,  making 
long  legs  and  short  ones.  She  was  chased,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  and  that  hard,  the  difference  in  sailing  between  the 
two  crafts  not  being  sufficiently  great  to  render  the  brigan- 
tine's  escape  by  any  means  certain,  while  absolutely  within 
the  range  of  those  terrible  missiles  that  were  used  by  the 
man-of-war's  men. 

But  Spike  soon  determined  not  to  leave  a  point  so  delicate 
as  that  of  his  own  and  his  vessel's  security  to  be  decided 
by  a  mere  superiority  in  the  way  of  heels.  The  Florida 
Reef,  with  all  its  dangers,  windings,  and  rocks,  was  as  well 
known  to  him  as  the  entrances  to  the  port  of  New  York 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  31 

In  addition  to  its  larger  channels,  of  which  there  are  three 
or  four,  through  which  ships  of  size  can  pass,  it  had  many 
others  that  would  admit  only  vessels  of  a  lighter  draught 
of  water.  The  brig  was  not  flying  light,  it  is  true,  but  she 
was  merely  in  good  ballast  trim,  and  passages  would  be 
available  to  her,  into  which  the  Poughkeepsie  would  not 
dare  to  venture.  One  of  these  lesser  channels  was  favourably 
placed  to  further  the  escape  of  Spike,  and  he  shoved  the 
brig  into  it  after  the  struggle  had  lasted  less  than  an  hour. 
This  passage  offered  a  shorter  cut  to  the  south  side  of  the 
reef  than  the  main  channel,  and  the  sloop-of-war,  doubtless 
perceiving  the  uselessness  of  pursuit,  under  such  circum 
stances,  wore  round  on  her  heel,  and  came  down  through 
the  main  channel  again,  just  entering  the  open  water,  near 
the  spot  where  the  schooner  had  sunk,  as  the  sun  was  setting. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Shallow,  Did  her  grandsire  leave  her  seven  hundred  pound  1 
Evans.  Ay,  and  her  father  is  make  her  a  petter  penny. 
Shallow.  I  know  the  yonng  gentlewoman;  she  has  good  gifts. 
Evans.  Seven  hundred  pounds,  and  possibilities,  is  good  gifts. 

SHAKSPEAHE. 

As  for  Spike,  he  had  no  intention  of  going  to  the  south 
ward  of  the  Florida  Reef  again  until  his  business  called 
him  there.  The  lost  bag  of  doubloons  was  still  gleaming 
before  his  imagination,  and  no  sooner  did  the  Poughkeepsie 
bear  up,  than  he  shortened  sail,  standing  back  and  forth 
in  his  narrow  and  crooked  channel,  rather  losing  ground 
than  gaining,  though  he  took  great  pains  not  to  let  his  artifice 
be  seen.  When  the  Poughkeepsie  was  so  far  to  the  north 
ward  as  to  render  it  safe,  he  took  in  everything  but  one  or 
two  of  his  lowest  sails,  and  followed  easily  in  the  same 
direction.  As  the  sloop-of-war  carried  her  light  and  loftier 
sails,  she  remained  visible  to  the  people  of  the  Swash  long 
after  the  Swash  had  ceased  to  be  visible  to  her.  Profiting 


32  JACK   TIER; 

by  this  circumstance,  Spike  entered  the  main  channel  again 
some  time  before  it  was  dark,  and  selected  a  safe  anchorage 
there  that  was  well  known  to  him ;  a  spot  where  sufficient 
sand  had  collected  on  the  coral  to  make  good  holding 
ground,  and  where  a  vessel  would  be  nearly  embayed, 
though  always  to  windward  of  her  channel  going  out,  by 
the  formation  of  the  reef.  Here  he  anchored,  in  order  to 
wait  until  morning  ere  he  ventured  further  north.  During 
the  whole  of  that  dreadful  day,  Rose  had  remained  in  her 
cabin,  disconsolate,  nearly  unable,  as  she  was  absolutely 
unwilling  to  converse.  Now  it  was  that  she  felt  the  total 
insufficiency  of  a  mind  feeble  as  that  of  her  aunt's  to 
administer  consolation  to  misery  like  her  own.  Nevertheless, 
the  affectionate  solicitude  of  Mrs.  Budd,  as  well  as  that  of 
the  faithful  creature,  Biddy,  brought  some  relief,  and  reason 
and  resignation  began  slowly  to  resume  their  influence. 
Yet  was  the  horrible  picture  of  Harry,  dying  by  inches, 
deserted  in  the  midst  of  the  waters  on  his  solitary  rock, 
ever  present  to  her  thoughts,  until,  once  or  twice,  her  feelings 
verged  on  madness.  Prayer  brought  its  customary  relief, 
however ;  and  we  do  not  think  that  we  much  exaggerate 
the  fact,  when  we  say  that  Rose  passed  fully  one-half  of 
that  terrible. afternoon  on  her  knees. 

As  for  Jack  Tier,  he  was  received  on  board  the  brig 
much  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Spike  passed  and 
repassed  him  fifty  times,  without  even  an  angry  look,  or  a 
word  of  abuse  ;  and  the  deputy-steward  dropped  quietly  into 
the  duties  of  his  office,  without  meeting  with  either  reproach 
or  hindrance.  The  only  allusion,  indeed,  that  was  made 
to  his  recent  adventures,  took  place  in  a  conversation  that 
was  held  on  the  subject  in  the  galley,  the  interlocutors  being 
Jack  himself,  Josh,  the  steward,  and  Simon,  the  cook. 

"  Where  you  been  scullin'  to,  'bout  on  dat  reef,  Jack, 
wid  dem  'ere  women,  I  won'er  now?"  demanded  Josh,  after 
tasting  the  cabin  soup,  in  order  to  ascertain  how  near  it 
was  to  being  done.  "  I  t'ink  it  no  great  fun  to  dodge  'bout 
among  dem  rock  in  a  boat,  for  anudder  hurricane  might 
come  when  a  body  least  expeck  him." 

"Oh,"  said  Jack,  cavalierly,  "two  hurricanes  no  more 
come  in  one  month,  than  two  shot  in  the  same  hole.  Wf've 


: 


OR,    THE   FLORIDA    REEF.  33 

been  turtlin',  that's  all.  I  wish  we  had  in  your  coppers, 
cook,  some  of  the  critturs  that  we  fell  in  with  in  our  cruise." 

"  Wish  'e  had,  master  steward,  wid  all  my  heart,"  answered 
the  fat,  glistening  potentate  of  the  galley.  "  But,  hark'ee, 
Jack  ;  what  became  of  our  young  mate,  can  'e  tell  ?  Some 
say  he  get  kill  at  'e  Dry  Tortugas,  and  some  say  he  war' 
scullin'  round  in  dat  boat  you  hab,  wid  'e  young  woman, 
eh?" 

"  Ah,  boys,"  answered  Jack,  mournfully,  "  sure  enough, 
what  has  become  of  him  '?" 

"  You  know,  why  can't  you  tell  1  What  good  to  hab 
secret  among  friend." 

"  Are  ye  his  friends,  lads?  Do  you  really  feel  as  if  you 
could  give  a  poor  soul  in  its  agony  a  helpin'  hand  ?" 

"  Why  not?"  said  Josh,  in  a  reproachful  way.  "  Misser 
Mulford  'e  bess  mate  dis  brig  ebber  get ;  and  I  do  n't  see  why 
Cap'in  Spike  want  to  be  rid  of  him." 

"Because  he's  a  willian !"  returned  Jack  between  his 
grated  teeth.  "D'ye  know  what  that  means  in  English, 
master  Josh ;  and  can  you  and  cook  here,  both  of  whom 
have  sailed  with  the  man  years  in  and  years  out,  say  whether 
my  words  be  true  or  not?" 

"  Dat  as  a  body  understand  'em.  Accordin'  to  some 
rule,  Stephen  Spike  not  a  werry  honest  man ;  but  accordin1 
to  'nudder  some,  he  as  good  as  any  body  else." 

"  Yes,  dat  just  be  upshot  of  de  matter,"  put  in  Simon, 
approvingly.  "  De  whole  case  lie  in  dat  meanin'." 

"  D'  ye  call  it  right  to  leave  a  human  being  to  starve,  or 
to  suffer  for  water,  on  a  naked  rock,  in  the  midst  of  the 
ocean?" 

"Who  do  dat?" 

"  The  willian  who  is  captain  of  this  brig  ;  and  all  because 
he  thinks  young  eyes  and  bloomin'  cheeks  prefar  young 
eyes  and  bloomin'  cheeks  to  his  own  grizzly  beard  and  old 
look-outs." 

"  Dat  bad  ;  dat  werry  bad,"  said  Josh,  shaking  his  head, 
a  way  of  denoting  dissatisfaction,  in  which  Simon  joined 
him ;  for  no  crime  appeared  sufficiently  grave  in  the  eyes 
of  these  two  sleek  and  well-fed  officials  to  justify  such  a 
punishment.  "  Dat  mons'ous  bad,  and  cap'in  ought  to  know 
better  dan  do  dat.  I  nebber  starves  a  mouse,  if  I  catches 


34  JACKTIER; 

him  in  de  bread-locker.  Now,  dat  a  sort  of  reason'ble 
punishment,  too;  but  I  riebber  does  it.  If  mouse  eat  my 
bread,  it  do  seem  right  to  tell  mouse  dat  he  hab  enough, 
and  dat  he  must  not  eat  any  more  for  a  week,  or  a  mont', 
but  it  too  cruel  for  me,  and  I  nebber  does  it;  no,  I  t'rows 
de  little  debil  overboard,  and  lets  him  drown  like  a  gen- 
tle'em." 

"  Y-e-s,"  drawled  out  Simon,  in  a  philanthropical  tone  of 
voice,  "  dat  'e  best  way.  What  good  it  do  to  torment  a 
fellow  critter?  If  Misser  Mulford  run,  why  put  him  down 
run,  and  let  him  go,  I  say,  on'y  mulk  his  wages ;  but  what 
good  it  do  anybody  to  starve  him?  Now  dis  is  my  opinion, 
gentle'em,  and  dat  is,  dat  starwation  be  wuss  dan  choleric. 
Choleric  kill,  I  knows,  and  so  does  starwation  kill ;  but  of 
de  two,  gib  me  de  choleric  fuss ;  if  I  gets  well  of  dat,  den 
try  starwation  if  you  can." 

"  I  'm  glad  to  hear  you  talk  in  this  manner,  my  hearties," 
put  in  Jack  ;  "  and  I  hope  I  may  find  you  accommodatin' 
in  a  plan  I  've  got  to  help  the  maty  out  of  this  difficulty.  As 
a  friend  of  Stephen  Spike's  I  would  do  it ;  for  it  must  be  a 
terrible  thing  to  die  with  such  a  murder  on  one's  soul. 
Here's  the  boat  that  we  pick'd  up  at  the  light-house,  yonder, 
in  tow  of  the  brig  at  this  minute;  and  there's  everything 
in  her  comfortable  for  a  good  long  run,  as  I  know  from 
having  sailed  in  her ;  and  what  I  mean  is  this :  as  we  left 
Mr.  Mulford,  I  took  the  bearings  and  distance  of  the  rock 
he  was  on,  d'  ye  understand,  and  think  I  could  find  my  way 
back  to  it.  You  see  the  brig  is  travelin'  slowly  north  ag'in, 
and  afore  long  we  shall  be  in  the  neighbourhood  of  that 
very  rock.  We,  cook  and  stewards,  will  be  called  on  to 
keep  an  anchor-watch,  if  the  brig  fetches  up,  as  I  heard  the 
captain  tell  the  Spanish  gentleman  he  thought  she  would ; 
and  then  we  can  take  the  boat  that's  in  the  water  and  go 
and  have  a  hunt  for  the  maty." 

The  two  blacks  looked  at  Tier  earnestly;  then  they 
turned  their  heads  to  look  at  each  other.  The  idea  struck 
each  as  bold  and  novel,  but  each  saw  serious  difficulties  in 
it.  At  length  Josh,  as  became  his  superior  station,  took 
on  himself  the  office  of  expressing  the  objections  that  oc 
curred  to  his  mind. 

"  Dat  nebber  do!"  exclaimed  the  steward.     "  We  be's 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  35 

quite  willin'  to  sarve'e  mate,  who's  a  good  genlle'em,  and 
as  nice  a  young  man  as  ever  sung  out, '  hard  a-lee,  but  we 
must  t'ink  little  bit  of  number  one ;  or,  for  dat  matter,  of 
number  two,  as  Simon  would  be  implercated  as  well  as 
myself.  If  Cap'in  Spike  once  knew  we've  lent  a  hand  in 
sich  a  job,  he'd  never  overlook  it.  I  knows  him,  well; 
and  that  is  sayin'  as  much  as  need  be  said  of  any  man's 
character.  You  nebber  catch  me  runnin'  myself  into  his 
jaws ;  would  rather  fight  a  shark  widout  any  knife.  No, 
no  —  I  knows  him  well.  Den  comes  anudder  werry  un 
answerable  objecsh'un,  and  dat  is,  dat  'e  brig  owe  hot* 
Simon  and  I  money.  Fifty  dollars,  each  on  us,  if  she  owe 
one  cent.  Now,  do  you  t'ink  in  cander,  Jack,  dat  two 
colour'  gentle'em,  like  us,  can  t'row  away  our  fortins  like 
two  sons  of  a  York  merchant  dat  has  inherited  a  hundred 
t'ousand  dollar  tudder  day?" 

"  There  is  no  occasion  for  running  at  all,  or  for  losing 
your  wages." 

"  How  you  get  'e  mate  off,  den  ?  Can  he  walk  away  on 
de  water  ?  If  so,  let  him  go  widout  us.  A  werry  good 
gentle'em  is  Misser  Mulford,  but  not  good  enough  to  mulk 
Simon  and  me  out  of  fifty  dollar  each." 

"  You  will  not  hear  my  project,  Josh,  and  so  will  never 
know  what  I  would  be  at." 

"  Well,  come,  tell  him  jest  as  you  surposes  him.  Now 
listen,  Simon,  so  dat  not  a  word  be  loss." 

"  My  plan  is  to  take  the  boat,  if  we  anchor,  as  anchor 
I  know  we  shall,  and  go  and  find  the  rock  and  bring  Mr. 
Mulford  off;  then  we  can  come  back  to  the  brig,  and  get 
on  board  ourselves,  and  let  the  mate  sail  away  in  the  boat 
by  himself.  On  this  plan  nobody  will  run,  and  no  wages 
be  mulcted." 

"  But  dat  take  time  and  an  anchor-watch  last  but  two 
hour,  surposin'  even  dat  'ey  puts  all  t'ree  of  us  in  de  same 
watch." 

"  Spike  usually  does  that,  you  know.  '  Let  the  cook 
and  the  stewards  keep  the  midnight  watch,3  he  commonly 
says, '  and  that  will  give  the  foremost  hands  a  better  snooze.' '' 

"  Yes,  he  do  say  dat,  Josh,"  put  in  Simon,  "  most  ebbery 
time  we  comes-to." 

"  I  know  he  does,  and  surposes  he  will  say  it  to-night,  if 


36  JACK   TIER; 

he  eomes-to  to-night.  But  a  two  hour  watch  may  not  be 
long  enough  to  do  all  you  wants;  and  den,  jest  t'ink  for  a 
moment,  should  'e  cap'in  come  on  deck  and  hail  'e  fore 
castle,  and  find  us  all  gone,  I  wouldn't  be  in  your  skin, 
Jack,  for  dis  brig,  in  sich  a  kerlamity.  I  knows  Cap'in 
Spike  well ;  free  time  I  endebber  to  run  myself,  and  each 
time  he  bring  me  up  wid  a  round  turn ;  so,  now-a-days,  1 
nebber  t'inks  of  sich  a  projeck  any  longer." 

"  But  I  do  not  intend  to  leave  the  forecastle  without 
some  one  on  it  to  answer  a  hail.  No,  all  I  want  is  a  com 
panion  ;  for  I  do  not  like  to  go  out  on  the  reef  at  midnight, 
all  alone.  If  one  of  you  will  go  with  me,  the  other  can 
stay  and  answer  the  captain's  hail,  should  he  really  come 
on  deck  in  our  watch — a  thing  very  little  likely  to  happen. 
When  once  his  head  is  on  his  pillow,  a'ter  a  hard  day's 
work,  it's  not  very  apt  to  be  lifted  ag'in  without  a  call,  or 
a  squall.  If  you  do  know  Stephen  Spike  well,  Josh,  I  know 
him  better." 

"  Well,  Jack,  dis  here  is  a  new  idee,  d'ye  see,  and  a  body 
must  take  time  to  consider  on  it.  If  Simon  and  I  do  ship 
for  dis  v'y'ge,  'twill  be  for  lub  of  Mr.  Mulford,  and  not  for 
his  money  or  your'n." 

This  was  all  the  encouragement  of  his  project  Jack  Tier 
could  obtain,  on  that  occasion,  from  either  his  brother 
steward,  or  from  the  cook.  These  blacks  were  well  enough 
disposed  to  rescue  an  innocent  and  unoffending  man  from 
the  atrocious  death  to  which  Spike  had  condemned  his 
mate,  but  neither  lost  sight  of  his  own  security  and  interest. 
They  promised  Tier  not  to  betray  him,  however;  and  he 
had  the  fullest  confidence  in  their  pledges.  They  who  live 
together  in  common,  usually  understand  the  feeling  that 
prevails,  on  any  given  point,  in  their  own  set ;  and  Jack 
felt  pretty  certain  that  Harry  was  a  greater  favourite  in  and 
about  the  camboose  than  the  captain.  On  that  feeling  he 
relied,  and  he  was  fain  to  wait  the  course  of  events,  ere  ho 
came  to  any  absolute  conclusion  as  to  his  own  course. 

The  interview  in  the  galley  took  place  about  half  an 
hour  before  the  brig  anchored  for  the  night.  Tier,  who 
often  assisted  on  such  occasions,  went  aloft  to  help  secure 
the  royal,  one  of  the  gaskets  of  which  had  got  loose,  and 
from  the  yard  he  had  an  excellent  opportunity  to  take  a 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  37 

look  at  the  reef,  the  situation  of  the  vessel,  and  the  proba 
ble  bearings  of  the  rock  on  which  poor  Mulford  had  been 
devoted  to  a  miserable  death.  This  opportunity  was  much 
increased  by  Spike's  hailing  him,  while  on  the  yard,  and 
ordering  him  to  take  a  good  look  at  the  sloop-of-war,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  ascertain  if  any  boats  were  "  prowlin' 
about,  in  order  to  make  a  set  upon  us  in  the  night."  On 
receiving  this  welcome  order,  Jack  answered  with  a  cheer 
ful  "Ay,  ay,  sir,"  and  standing  up  on  the  yard,  he  placed 
an  arm  around  the  mast,  and  remained  for  a  long  time 
making  his  observations.  The  command  to  look-out  for 
boats  would  have  been  a  sufficient  excuse  had  he  continued 
on  the  yard  as  long  as  it  was  light. 

Jack  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  the  Poughkeepsie,  which 
was  already  through  the  passage,  and  no  longer  visible 
from  the  deck.  She  appeared  to  be  standing  to  the  north 
ward  and  westward,  under  easy  canvas,  like  a  craft  that 
was  in  no  hurry.  This  fact  was  communicated  to  Spike  in 
the  usual  way.  The  latter  seemed  pleased,  and  he  answered 
in  a  hearty  manner,  just  as  if  no  difficulty  had  ever  occurred 
between  him  and  the  steward's  assistant. 

"  Very  well,  Jack  !  bravo,  Jack  ! — now  take  a  good  look 
for  boats  ;  you  '11  have  light  enough  for  that  this  half  hour," 
cried  the  captain.  "  If  any  are  out,  you  '11  find  them  pull 
ing  down  the  channel,  or  maybe  they'll  try  to  shorten  the 
cut,  by  attempting  to  pull  athwart  the  reef.  Take  a  good 
and  steady  look  for  them,  my  man." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir;  I'll  do  all  I  can  with  naked  eyes,"  an 
swered  Jack,  "  but  I  could  do  better,  sir,  if  they  would  only 
send  me  up  a  glass  by  these  here  signal-halyards.  With  a 
glass,  a  fellow  might  speak  with  some  sartainty." 

Spike  seemed  struck  with  the  truth  of  this  suggestion  ; 
and  he  soon  sent  a  glass  aloft  by  the  signal-halyards.  Thus 
provided,  Jack  descended  as  low  as  the  cross-trees,  where 
he  took  his  seat,  and  began  a  survey  at  his  leisure.  While 
thus  employed,  the  brig  was  secured  for  the  night,  her 
decks  were  cleared,  and  the  people  were  ordered  to  get 
their  suppers,  previously  to  setting  an  anchor-watch,  and 
turning-in  for  the  night.  No  one  heeded  the  movements 
of  Tier, — for  Spike  had  gone  into  his  own  state-room, — 
\vith  the  exception  of  Josh  and  Simon.  Those  two  worthies 
VOL.  II.  —  4 


38  JACK  TIER; 

were  still  in  the  galley,  conversing  on  the  subject  of  Jack's 
recent  communications ;  and  ever  and  anon  one  of  them 
would  stick  his  head  out  of  the  door  and  look  aloft,  with 
drawing  it,  and  shaking  it  significantly,  as  soon  as  his  ob 
servations  were  ended. 

As  for  Tier,  he  was  seated  quite  at  his  ease;  and  having 
slung  his  glass  to  one  of  the  shrouds,  in  a  way  to  admit  of 
its  being  turned  as  on  a  pivot,  he  had  every  opportunity 
for  observing  accurately,  and  at  his  leisure.  The  first 
thing  Jack  did,  was  to  examine  the  channel  very  closely, 
in  order  to  make  sure  that  no  boats  were  in  it,  after  which 
he  turned  the  glass  with  great  eagerness  toward  the  reef, 
in  the  almost  hopeless  office  of  ascertaining  something  con 
cerning  Mulford.  In  point  of  fact,  the  brig  had  anchored 
quite  three  leagues  from  the  solitary  rock  of  the  deserted 
mate,  and,  favoured  as  he  was  by  his  elevation,  Jack  could 
hardly  expect  to  discern  so  small  and  low  an  object  as  that 
rock  at  so  great  a  distance.  Nevertheless,  the  glass  was 
much  better  than  common.  It  had  been  a  present  to  Spike 
from  one  who  was  careful  in  his  selections  of  such  objects, 
and  who  had  accidentally  been  under  a  serious  obligation 
to  the  captain.  Knowing  the  importance  of  a  good  look, 
as  regards  the  boats,  Spike  had  brought  this  particular  in 
strument,  of  which,  in  common,  he  was  very  chary,  from 
his  own  state-room,  and  sent  it  aloft,  in  order  that  Jack 
might  have  every  available  opportunity  of  ascertaining  his 
facts.  It  was  this  glass,  then,  which  was  the  means  of  the 
important  discoveries  the  little  fellow,  who  was  thus  perched 
on  the  fore-topmast  cross-trees  of  the  Swash,  did  actually 
succeed  in  making. 

Jack  actually  started,  when  he  first  ascertained  how  dis 
tinctly  and  near  the  glass  he  was  using  brought  distant 
objects.  The  gulls  that  sailed  across  its  disk,  though  a 
league  off,  appeared  as  if  near  enough  to  be  touched  by  the 
hand,  and  even  their  feathers  gave  out  not  only  their  hues, 
but  their  forms.  Thus,  too,  was  it  with  the  surface  of  the 
ocean,  of  which  the  little  waves  that  agitated  the  water  of 
the  reef,  might  be  seen  tossing  up  and  down,  at  more  than 
twice  the  range  of  the  Poughkeepsie's  heaviest  gun.  Naked 
rocks,  low  and  subdued  as  they  were  in  colour,  too,  were 
to  be  noted,  scattered  up  and  down  in  the  panorama.  At 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  39 

length  Tier  fancied  his  glass  covered  a  field  thai  he  recog 
nized.  It  was  distant,  but  might  be  seen  from  his  present 
elevation.  A  second  look  satisfied  him  he  was  right ;  and 
he  next  clearly  traced  the  last  channel  in  which  they  had 
endeavoured  to  escape  from  Spike,  or  that  in  which  the 
boat  had  been  taken.  Following  it  along,  by  slowly  moving 
the  glass,  he  actually  hit  the  rock  on  which  Mulford  had 
been  deserted.  It  was  peculiar  in  shape,  size,  and  eleva 
tion  above  the  water,  and  connected  with  the  circumstance 
of  the  channel,  which  was  easily  enough  seen  by  the  colour 
of  the  water,  and  more  easily  from  his  height  than  if  he 
had  been  in  it,  he  could  not  be  mistaken.  The  little  fel 
low's  heart  beat  quick  as  he  made  the  glass  move  slowly 
over  its  surface,  anxiously  searching  for  the  form  of  the 
mate.  It  was  not  to  be  seen.  A  second,  and  a  more  care 
ful  sweep  of  the  glass,  made  it  certain  that  the  rock  was 
deserted. 

Although  a  little  reflection  might  have  satisfied  any  one 
Mulford  was  not  to  be  sought  in  that  particular  spot,  so 
long  after  he  had  been  left  there,  Jack  Tier  felt  grievously 
disappointed  when  he  was  first  made  certain  of  the  accu 
racy  of  his  observations.  A  minute  later  he  began  to  rea 
son  on  the  matter,  and  he  felt  more  encouraged.  The 
rock  on  which  the  mate  had  been  abandoned  was  smooth, 
and  could  not  hold  any  fresh  water  that  might  have  been  left 
by  the  late  showers.  Jack  also  remembered  that  it  had 
neither  sea-weed  nor  shell-fish.  In  short,  the  utmost  malice 
of  Spike  could  not  have  selected,  for  the  immolation  of  his 
victim,  a  more  suitable  place.  Now  Tier  had  heard 
Harry's  explanation  to  Rose,  touching  the  manner  in  which 
he  had  waded  and  swum  about  the  reef  that  very  morning, 
and  it  at  once  occurred  to  him  that  the  young  man  had  too 
much  energy  and  spirit  to  remain  helpless  and  inactive  to 
perish  on  a  naked  rock,  when  there  might  be  a  possibility 
of  at  least  prolonging  existence,  if  not  of  saving  it.  This 
induced  the  steward  to  turn  the  glass  slowly  over  the  water, 
and  along  all  the  ranges  of  visible  rock  that  he  could  find 
in  that  vicinity.  For  a  long  time  the  search  was  useless, 
the  distance  rendering  such  an  examination  not  only  diffi 
cult  but  painful.  At  length  Jack,  about  to  give  up  the 
matter  in  despair,  took  one  sweep  with  the  glass  nearer  to 


40  JACK  TIER; 

the  brig,  as  much  to  obtain  a  general  idea  of  the  boat- 
channels  of  the  reef,  as  in  any  hope  of  finding  Mulford, 
when  an  object  moving  in  the  water  came  within  the  field 
of  the  glass.  He  saw  it  but  for  an  instant,  as  the  glass 
swept  slowly  past,  but  it  struck  him  it  was  something  that 
had  life,  and  was  in  motion.  Carefully  going  over  the  same 
ground  again,  after  a  long  search,  he  again  found  what  he 
so  anxiously  sought.  A  good  look  satisfied  him  that  he 
was  right.  It  was  certainly  a  man  wading  along  the  shal 
low  water  of  the  reef,  immersed  to  his  waist  —  and  it  must 
be  Mulford. 

So  excited  was  Jack  Tier  by  this  discovery  that  he  trem 
bled  like  a  leaf.  A  minute  or  two  elapsed  before  he  could 
again  use  the  glass;  and  when  he  did,  a  long  and  anxious 
search  was  necessary  before  so  small  an  object  could  be 
once  more  found.  Find  it  he  did,  however,  and  then  he 

f)t  its  range  by  the  vessel,  in  a  way  to  make  sure  of  it. 
es,  it  was  a  man,  and  it  was  Mulford. 

Circumstances  conspired  to  aid  Jack  in  the  investigation 
that  succeeded.  The  sun  was  near  setting,  but  a  stream 
of  golden  light  gleamed  over  the  waters,  particularly  illu 
minating  the  portion  which  came  within  the  field  of  the 
glass.  It  appeared  then  that  Harry,  in  his  efforts  to  escape 
from  the  rock,  and  to  get  nearer  to  the  edge  of  the  main 
channel,  where  his  chances  of  being  seen  and  rescued 
would  be  ten-fold  what  they  were  on  his  rock,  had  moved 
south,  by  following  the  naked  reef  and  the  shallow  places, 
and  was  actually  more  than  a  league  nearer  to  the  brig  than 
he  would  have  been  had  he  remained  stationary.  There 
had  been  hours  in  which  to  make  this  change,  and  the 
young  man  had  probably  improved  them  to  the  utmost. 

Jack  watched  the  form  that  was  wading  slowly  along 
with  an  interest  he  had  never  before  felt  in  the  movements 
of  any  human  being.  Whether  Mulford  saw  the  brig  or 
not,  it  was  difficult  to  say.  She  was  quite  two  leagues 
from  him,  and,  now  that  her  sails  were  furled,  she  offered 
but  little  for  the  eye  to  rest  on  at  that  distance.  At  first, 
Jack  thought  the  young  man  was  actually  endeavouring  to 
get  nearer  to  her,  though  it  must  have  been  a  forlorn  hope 
that  should  again  place  him  in  the  hands  of  Spike.  It  was, 
however,  a  more  probable  conjecture  that  the  young  man 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA    REEF.  41 

was  endeavouring  to  reach  the  margin  of  the  passage, 
where  a  good  dea!  of  rock  was  above  water,  and  near  to 
which  he  had  already  managed  to  reach.  At  one  time 
Jack  saw  that  the  mate  was  obliged  to  swim,  and  he  actu 
ally  lost  sight  of  him  for  a  time.  His  form,  however,  re 
appeared,  and  then  it  slowly  emerged  from  the  water,  and 
stood  erect  on  a  bare  rock  of  some  extent.  Jack  breathed 
freer  at  this;  for  Mulford  was  now  on  the  very  margin  of 
the  channel,  and  might  be  easily  reached  by  the  boat,  should 
he  prevail  on  Josh,  or  Simon,  to  attempt  the  rescue. 

At  first,  Jack  Tier  fancied  that  Mulford  had  knelt  to  re 
turn  thanks  on  his  arrival  at  a  place  of  comparative  safety  ; 
but  a  second  look  satisfied  him  that  Harry  was  drinking 
from  one  of  the  little  pools  of  fresh  water  left  by  the  late 
shower.  When  he  rose  from  drinking,  the  young  man 
walked  about  the  place,  occasionally  stooping,  signs  that 
he  was  picking  up  shell-fish  for  his  supper.  Suddenly, 
Mulford  darted  forward,  and  passed  beyond  the  field  of  the 
glass.  When  Jack  found  him  again,  he  was  in  the  act  of 
turning  a  small  turtle,  using  his  knife  on  the  animal  imme 
diately  after.  Had  Jack  been  in  danger  of  starvation  him 
self,  and  found  a  source  of  food  as  ample  and  as  grateful 
as  this,  he  could  scarcely  have  been  more  delighted.  The 
light  now  began  to  wane  perceptibly,  still  Harry's  move 
ments  could  be  discerned.  The  turtle  was  killed  and 
dressed,  sufficiently  at  least  for  the  mate's  purposes,  and 
the  latter  was  seen  collecting  sea-weed,  and  bits  of  plank, 
boards,  and  sticks  of  wood,  of  which  more  or  less,  in  drift 
ing  past,  had  lodged  upon  the  rocks.  "  Is  it  possible," 
thought  Jack,  "  that  he  is  so  werry  partic'lar  he  can't  eat 
his  turtle  raw !  Will  he,  indeed,  venture  to  light  a  fire,  or 
has  he  the  means?"  Mulford  was  so  particular,  however, 
he  did  venture  to  light  a  fire,  and  he  had  the  means.  This 
may  be  said  to  be  the  age  of  matches — not  in  a  connubial, 
though  in  an  inflammatory  sense — and  the  mate  had  a  small 
stock  in  a  tight  box  that  he  habitually  carried  on  his  per 
son.  Tier  saw  him  at  work  over  a  little  pile  he  had  made 
for  a  long  time,  the  beams  of  day  departing  now  so  fast  as 
to  make  him  fearful  he  should  soon  lose  his  object  in  the 
increasing  obscurity  of  twilight.  Suddenly  a  light  gleamed, 
and  the  pile  sent  forth  a  clear  flame.  Mulford  went  to  and 


42  JACKTIER; 

fro,  collecting  materials  to  feed  his  fire,  and  was  soon  busied 
in  cooking  his  turtle.  All  this  Tier  saw  and  understood, 
the  light  of  the  flames  corning  in  proper  time  to  supply  the 
vacuum  left  by  the  departure  of  that  of  day. 

In  a  minute  Tier  had  no  difficulty  in  seeing  the  fire  that 
Mulford  had  lighted  on  his  low  and  insulated  domains  with 
the  naked  eye.  It  gleamed  brightly  in  that  solitary  place; 
and  the  steward  was  much  afraid  it  would  be  seen  by  some 
one  on  deck,  get  to  be  reported  to  Spike,  and  lead  to 
Harry's  destruction  after  all.  The  mate  appeared  to  be 
insensible  to  his  danger,  however,  occasionally  casting  piles 
of  dry  sea-weed  on  his  fire,  in  a  way  to  cause  the  flames 
to  flash  up,  as  if  kindled  anew  by  gunpowder.  It  now  oc 
curred  to  Tier  that  the  young  man  had  a  double  object  in 
lighting  this  fire,  which  would  answer  not  only  the  purposes 
of  his  cookery,  but  as  a  signal  of  distress  to  anything  pass 
ing  near.  The  sloop-of-war,  though  more  distant  than  the 
brig,  was  in  his  neighbourhood ;  and  she  might  possibly 
yet  send  relief.  Such  was  the  state  of  things  when  Jack 
was  startled  by  a  sudden  hail  from  below.  It  was  Spike's 
voice,  and  came  up  to  him  short  and  quick. 

"  Fore-topmast  cross-trees,  there  !  What  are  ye  about 
all  this  time,  Master  Jack  Tier,  in  them  fore-topmast  cross- 
trees,  I  say?"  demanded  Spike. 

"  Keeping  a  look-out  for  boats  from  the  sloop-of-war,  as 
you  bade  me,  sir,"  answered  Jack,  coolly. 

"  D'  ye  see  any,  my  man  ?  Is  the  water  clear  ahead  of 
us,  or  not?" 

"It's  getting  to  be  so  dark,  sir,  I  can  see  no  longer. 
While  there  was  day-light,  no  boat  was  to  be  seen." 

"  Come  down,  man — come  down  ;  I  've  business  for  you 
below.  The  sloop  is  far  enough  to  the  nor'ard,  and  we 
shall  neither  see  nor  hear  from  her  to-night.  Come  down, 
I  say,  Jack — come  down." 

Jack  obeyed,  and  securing  the  glass,  he  began  to  descend 
the  rigging.  He  was  soon  as  low  as  the  top,  when  he 
paused  a  moment  to  take  another  look.  The  fire  was  still 
visible,  shining  like  a  torch  on  the  surface  of  the  water, 
casting  its  beams  abroad  like  "  a  good  deed  in  a  naughty 
world."  Jack  was  sorry  to  see  it,  though  he  once  more 
took  its  bearing  from  the  brig,  in  order  that  he  might  know 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  43 

where  to  find  the  spot,  in  the  event  of  a  search  for  it.  When 
on  the  stretcher  of  the  fore-rigging,  Jack  stopped  and  again 
looked  for  his  beacon.  It  had  disappeared,  having  sunk 
below  the  circular  formation  of  the  earth.  By  ascending 
two  or  three  ratlins,  it  came  into  view,  and  by  going  down 
as  low  as  the  stretcher  again,  it  disappeared.  Trusting 
that  no  one,  at  that  hour,  would  have  occasion  to  go  aloft, 
Jack  now  descended  to  the  deck,  and  went  aft  with  the 
spy-glass. 

Spike  and  the  Senor  Montefalderon  were  under  the 
coach-house,  no  one  else  appearing  on  any  part  of  the  quar 
ter-deck.  The  people  were  eating  their  suppers,  and  Josh 
and  Simon  were  busy  in  the  galley.  As  for  the  females, 
they  chose  to  remain  in  their  own  cabin,  where  Spike  was 
well  pleased  to  leave  them. 

"  Come  this  way,  Jack,"  said  the  captain,  in  his  best- 
humoured  tone  of  voice,  "  I've  a  word  to  say  to  you.  Put 
the  glass  in  at  my  state-room  window,  and  come  hither." 

Tier  did  as  ordered. 

"  So  you  can  make  out  no  boats  to  the  nor'ard,  ha,  Jack  ! 
nothing  to  be  seen  thereaway  ?" 

"  Nothing  in  the  way  of  a  boat,  sir." 

"  Ay,  ay,  I  dare  say  there 's  plenty  of  water,  and  some 
rock.  The  Florida  Reef  has  no  scarcity  of  either,  to  them 
that  knows  where  to  look  for  one,  and  to  steer  clear  of  the 
other.  Hark  'e,  Jack  ;  so  you  got  the  schooner  under  way 
from  the  Dry  Tortugas,  and  undertook  to  beat  her  up  to 
Key  West,  when  she  fancied  herself  a  turtle,  and  over  she 
went  with  you — is  that  it,  my  man?" 

"  The  schooner  turned  turtle  with  us,  sure  enough,  sir  ; 
and  we  all  came  near  drowning  on  her  bottom." 

"No  sharks  in  that  latitude  and  longitude,  eh  Jack?" 

"  Plenty  on  'em,  sir ;  and  I  thought  they  would  have  got 
us  all,  at  one  time.  More  than  twenty  set  of  fins  were  in 
sight  at  once,  for  several  hours." 

"  You  could  hardly  have  supplied  the  gentlemen  with  a 
leg,  or  an  arm,  each.  But  where  was  the  boat  all  this  time 
—you  had  the  light-house  boat  in  tow,  I  suppose?" 

"  She  had  been  in  tow,  sir;  but  Madam  Budd  talked  so 
much  dictionary  to  the  painter,  that  it  got  adrift." 

"  Yet  I  found  you  all  in  it." 


44  JACK  TIER; 

"  Very  true,  sir.  Mr.  Mulford  swam  quite  a  mile  to 
reach  the  rocks,  and  found  the  boat  aground  on  one  on  'em. 
As  soon  as  he  got  the  boat,  he  made  sail,  and  came  and 
took  us  off.  We  had  reason  to  thank  God  he  could  do 
so." 

Spike  looked  dark  and  thoughtful.  He  muttered  the 
words  "swam,"  and  "  rocks,"  but  was  too  cautious  to  al 
low  any  expressions  to  escape  him,  that,  might  betray  to  the 
Mexican  officer  that  which  was  uppermost  in  his  mind. 
He  was  silent,  however,  for  quite  a  minute,  and  Jack  saw 
that  he  had  awakened  a  dangerous  source  of  distrust  in  the 
captain's  breast. 

"Well,  Jack,"  resumed  Spike,  after  the  pause,  "can 
you  tell  us  anything  of  the  doubloons  ?  I  nat'rally  expected 
to  find  them  in  the  boat,  but  there  were  none  to  be  seen. 
You  scarcely  pumped  the  schooner  out,  without  overhaul 
ing  her  lockers,  and  falling  in  with  them  doubloons." 

"  We  found  them,  sure  enough,  and  had  them  ashore 
with  us,  in  the  tent,  down  to  the  moment  when  we  sailed." 

"  When  you  took  them  off  to  the  schooner,  eh?  My  life 
for  it,  the  gold  was  not  forgotten." 

"It  was  not,  sure  enough,  sir;  but  we  took  it  off  with 
us  to  the  schooner,  and  it  went  down  in  her  when  she 
finally  sunk." 

Another  pause,  during  which  Senor  Montefalderort  and 
Captain  Spike  looked  significantly  at  each  other. 

"  Do  you  think,  Jack,  you  could  find  the  spot  where  the 
schooner  went  down  ?" 

"  I  could  come  pretty  near  it,  sir,  though  not  on  the  very 
spot  itself.  Water  leaves  no  mark  over  the  grave  of  a 
sunken  ship." 

"  If  you  can  take  us  within  a  reasonable  distance,  we 
might  find  it  by  sweeping  for  it.  Them  doubloons  are 
worth  some  trouble ;  and  their  recovery  would  be  better 
than  a  long  v'y'ge  to  us,  any  day." 

"  They  would,  indeed,  Don  Esteban,"  observed  the  Mex 
ican  ;  "  and  my  poor  country  is  not  in  a  condition  to  bear 
heavy  losses.  If  Senor  Jack  Tier  can  find  the  wreck,  and 
we  regain  the  money,  ten  of  those  doubloons  shall  be  his 
reward,  though  I  take  them  from  my  own  share,  much  di 
minished  as  it  will  be." 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  45 

"  You  hear,  Jack — here  is  a  chance  to  make  your  for 
tune  !  You  say  you  sailed  with  me  in  old  times — and  old 
times  were  good  times  with  this  brig,  though  times  has 
changed  ;  but  if  you  sailed  with  me,  in  old  times,  you  must 
remember  that  whatever  the  Swash  touched  she  turned  to 
gold." 

"I  hope  you  don't  doubt,  Captain  Spike,  my  having 
sailed  in  the  brig,  not  only  in  old  times,  but  in  her  best 
times." 

Jack  seemed  hurt  as  he  put  this  question,  and  Spike  ap 
peared  in  doubt.  The  latter  gazed  at  the  little,  rotund, 
queer-looking  figure  before  him,  as  if  endeavouring  to  re 
cognise  him ;  and  when  he  had  done,  he  passed  his  ?iand 
over  his  brow,  like  one  who  endeavoured  to  recall  past  ob 
jects  by  excluding  those  that  are  present. 

"  You  will  then  show  us  the  spot  where  my  unfortunate 
schooner  did  sink,  Senor  Jack  Tier  ?"  put  in  the  Mexican. 

"  With  all  my  heart,  senor,  if  it  is  to  be  found.  I  think 
I  could  take  you  within  a  cable's  length  of  the  place,  though 
hunger,  and  thirst,  and  sharks,  and  the  fear  of  drowning, 
will  keep  a  fellow  from  having  a  very  bright  look-out  for 
such  a  matter." 

"  In  what  water  do  you  suppose  the  craft  to  lie,  Jack  V 
demanded  the  captain. 

"  You  know  as  much  of  that  as  I  do  myself,  sir.  She 
went  down  about  a  cable's  length  from  the  reef,  toward 
which  she  was  a  settin'  at  the  time ;  and  had  she  kept  afloat 
an  hour  longer,  she  might  have  grounded  on  the  rocks." 

"  She  's  better  where  she  is,  if  we  can  only  find  her  by 
sweeping.  On  the  rocks  we  could  do  nothing  with  her  but 
break  her  up,  and  ten  to  one  the  doubloons  would  be  lost. 
By  the  way,  Jack,  do  you  happen  to  know  where  that 
scoundrel  of  a  mate  of  mine  stowed  the  money  1" 

"  When  we  left  the  island,  I  carried  it  down  to  the  boat 
myself — and  a  good  lift  I  had  of  it.  As  sure  as  you  are 
there,  senor,  I  was  obliged  to  take  it  on  a  shoulder.  When 
it  came  out  of  the  boat,  Mr.  Mulford  carried  it  below;  and 
I  heard  him  tell  Miss  Rose,  a'terwards  that  he  had  thrown 
it  into  a  bread-locker." 

"  Where  we  shall  find  it,  Don  Wan,  notwithstanding  all 
tins  veering  and  hauling.  The  old  brig  has  luck  when, 


46  JACK   TIER; 

doubloons  are  in  question,  and  ever  has  had  since  I've 
commanded  her.  Jack,  we  shall  have  to  call  on  the  cook 
and  stewards  for  an  anchor-watch  to-night.  The  people 
are  a  good  deal  fagged  with  boxing  about  this  reef  so  much, 
and  I  shall  want  'em  all  as  fresh  to-morrow  as  they  can  be 
got.  You  idlers  had  better  take  the  middle  watches,  which 
will  give  the  fore-castle  chaps  longer  naps." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir;  we'll  manage  that  for  'em.  Josh  and  Si 
mon  can  go  on  at  twelve,  and  I  will  take  the  watch  at  two, 
which  will  give  the  men  all  the  rest  they  want,  as  I  can 
hold  out  for  four  hours  full.  I'm  as  good  for  an  anchor- 
watch  as  any  man  in  the  brig,  Captain  Spike." 

"  That  you  are,  Jack,  and  better  than  some  on  'em. 
Take  you  all  round,  and  round  it  is,  you  're  a  rum  'un,  my 
lad — the  queerest  little  jigger  that  ever  lay  out  on  a  royal- 
yard." 

Jack  might  have  been  a  little  offended  at  Spike's  com 
pliments,  but  he  was  certainly  not  sorry  to  find  him  so  good- 
natured,  after  all  that  had  passed.  He  now  left  the  captain, 
and  his  Mexican  companion,  seemingly  in  close  conference 
together,  while  he  went  below  himself,  and  dropped  as 
naturally  into  the  routine  of  his  duty,  as  if  he  had  never 
left  the  brig.  In  the  cabin  he  found  the  females,  of  course. 
Rose  scarce  raising  her  face  from  the  shawl  which  lay  on 
the  bed  of  her  own  berth.  Jack  busied  himself  in  a  locker 
near  this  berth,  until  an  opportunity  occurred  to  touch 
Rose,  unseen  by  her  aunt  or  Biddy.  The  poor  heart- 
stricken  girl  raised  her  face,  from  which  all  the  colour 
had  departed,  and  looked  almost  vacantly  at  Jack,  as  if 'to 
ask  an  explanation.  Hope  is  truly,  by  a  most  benevolent 
provision  of  Providence,  one  of  the  very  last  blessings  to 
abandon  us.  It  is  probable  that  we  are  thus  gifted,  in  order 
to  encourage  us  to  rely  on  the  great  atonement  to  the  last 
moment,  since,  without  this  natural  endowment  to  cling  to 
hope,  despair  might  well  be  the  fate  of  millions,  who,  there 
is  reason  to  think,  reap  the  benefit  of  that  act  of  divine 
mercy.  It  would  hardly  do  to  say  that  anything  like  hope 
was  blended  with  the  look  Rose  now  cast  on  Jack,  but  it 
was  anxious  and  inquiring. 

The  steward  bent  his  head  to  the  locker,  bringing  his 
face  quite  near  to  that  of  Rose,  and  whispered — "  There 
is  hope,  Miss  Rose — but  do  not  betray  me." 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  47 

These  were  blessed  words  for  our  heroine  to  hear,  and 
they  produced  an  immediate  and  great  revolution  in  her 
feelings.  Commanding  herself,  however,  she  looked  her 
questions,  instead  of  trusting  even  to  a  whisper.  Jack  did 
not  say  any  more,  just  then ;  but,  shortly  after,  he  called 
Rose,  whose  eyes  were  now  neVer  off  him,  into  the  main 
cabin,  which  was  empty.  It  was  so  much  pleasanter  to 
sleep  in  an  airy  state-room  on  deck,  that  Senor  Montefal- 
deron,  indeed,  had  given  up  the  use  of  this  cabin,  in  a 
great  measure,  seldom  appearing  in  it,  except  at  meals, 
having  taken  possession  of  the  deserted  apartment  of  Mul- 
ford.  Josh  was  in  the  galley,  where  he  spent  most  of  his 
time,  and  Rose  and  Jack  had  no  one  to  disturb  their  con 
ference. 

"  He  is  safe,  Miss  Rose — God  be  praised !"  whispered 
Jack.  "  Safe  for  the  present,  at  least ;  with  food,  and 
water,  and  fire  to  keep  him  warm  at  night." 

It  was  impossible  for  Rose  not  to  understand  to  whom 
there  was  allusion,  though  her  head  became  dizzy  under 
the  painful  confusion  that  prevailed  in  it.  She  pressed  her 
temples  with  both  hands,  and  asked  a  thousand  questions 
with  her  eyes.  Jack  considerately  handed  her  a  glass  of 
water  before  he  proceeded.  As  soon  as  he  found  her  a 
little  more  composed,  he  related  the  facts  connected  with 
his  discovery  of  Mulford,  precisely  as  they  had  occurred. 

"  He  is  now  on  a  large  rock — a  little  island,  indeed — 
where  he  is  safe  from  the  ocean  unless  it  comes  on  to  blow 
a  hurricane,"  concluded  Jack,  "  has  fresh  water  and  fresh 
turtle  in  the  bargain.  A  man  might  live  a  month  on  one 
such  turtle  as  I  saw  Mr.  Mulford  cutting  up  this  evening." 

"  Is  there  no  way  of  rescuing  him  from  the  situation 
you  have  mentioned,  Jack  ?  In  a  year  or  two  I  shall  be 
my  own  mistress,  and  have  money  to  do  as  I  please  with ; 
put  me  only  in  the  way  of  taking  Mr.  Mulford  from  that 
rock,  and  I  will  share  all  I  am  worth  on  earth  with  you, 
dear  Jack." 

"Ay,  so  it  is  with  the  whole  sex,"  muttered  Tier;  "let 
them  only  once  give  up  their  affections  to  a  man,  and  he 
becomes  dearer  to  them  than  pearls  and  rubies!  But  you 
know  me,  Miss  Rose,  and  know  why  and  how  well  I  would 
sarve  you.  My  story  and  my  feelin's  are  as  much  your 


48  JACK  TIER; 

secret,  as  your  story  and  your  feelin's  is  mine.  We  shall 
pull  together,  if  we  do  n't  pull  so  very  strong.  Now,  hearken 
to  me,  Miss  Rose,  and  I  will  let  you  into  the  secret  of  my 
plan  to  help  Mr.  Muiford  make  a  launch." 

Jack  then  communicated  to  his  companion  his  whole 
project  for  the  night.  Spike  had,  of  his  own  accord,  given 
to  him  and  his  two  associates,  Simon  and  Josh,  the  care 
of  the  brig  between  midnight  and  morning.  If  he  could 
prevail  on  either  of  these  men  to  accompany  him,  it  was 
his  intention  to  take  the  light-house  boat,  which  was  riding 
by  its  painter  astern  of  the  brig,  and  proceed  as  fast  as 
they  could  to  the  spot  whither  Muiford  had  found  his  way. 
By  his  calculations,  if  the  wind  stood  as  it  then  was,  little 
more  than  an  hour  would  be  necessary  to  reach  the  rock, 
and  about  as  much  more  to  return.  Should  the  breeze 
lull,  of  which  there  was  no  great  danger,  since  the  easterly 
trades  were  again  blowing,  Jack  thought  he  and  Josh  might 
go  over  the  distance  with  the  oars  in  about  double  the  time. 
Should  both  Josh  and  Simon  refuse  to  accompany  him,  he 
thought  he  should  attempt  the  rescue  of  the  mate  alone, 
did  the  wind  stand,  trusting  to  Mulford's  assistance,  should 
he  need  it,  in  getting  back  to  the  brig. 

"  You  surely  would  not  come  back  here  with  Harry, 
did  you  once  get  him  safe  from  off  that  rock !"  exclaimed 
Rose. 

"Why,  you  know  how  it  is  with  me,  Miss  Rose,"  an 
swered  Jack.  "My  business  is  here,  on  board  the  Swash 
and  I  must  attend  to  it.  Nothing  shall  tempt  me  to  give 
up  the  brig  so  long  as  she  floats,  and  sartain  folk  float  in 
her,  unless  it  might  be  some  such  matter  as  that  which 
happened  on  the  bit  of  an  island  at  the  Dry  Tortugas.  Ah  ! 
he's  a  willian !  But  if  I  do  come  back,  it  will  be  only  to 
get  into  my  own  proper  berth  ag'in,  and  not  to  bring  Mr. 
Muiford  into  the  lion's  jaws.  He  will  only  have  to  put  me 
back  on  board  the  Molly  here,  when  he  can  make  the  best 
of  his  own  way  to  Key  West.  Half  an  hour  would  place 
him  out  of  harm's  way;  especially  as  I  happen  to  know 
the  course  Spike  means  to  steer  in  the  morning." 

"  I  will  go  with  you,  Jack,"  said  Rose,  mildly,  but  with 
great  firmness. 

"You,  Miss  Rose!     But  why  should  I  show  surprise  ? 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  49 

It's  like  all  the  sex,  when  they  have  given  away  their 
affections.  Yes,  woman  will  be  woman,  put  her  on  a  naked 
rock,  or  put  her  in  silks  and  satins  in  her  parlour  at  home. 
How  different  is  it  with  men !  They  dote  for  a  little  while, 
and  turn  to  a  new  face.  It  must  be  said,  men's  willians !" 

"  Not  Mulford,  Jack — no,  not  Harry  Mulford !  .A  truer 
or  a  nobler  heart  never  beat  in  a  human  breast;  and  you 
and  I  will  drown  together,  rather  than  he  should  not  be 
taken  from  that  rock." 

"  It  shall  be  as  you  say,"  answered  Jack,  a  little  thought 
fully.  "  Perhaps  it  would  be  best  that  you  should  quit  the 
brig  altogether.  Spike  is  getting  desperate,  and  you  will 
be  safer  with  the  young  mate  than  with  so  great  an  old 
willian.  Yes,  you  shall  go  with  me,  Miss  Rose;  and  if 
Josh  and  Simon  both  refuse,  we  will  go  alone." 

"  With  you,  Jack,  but  not  with  Mr.  Mulford.  I  cannot 
desert  my  aunt,  nor  can  I  quit  the  Swash  alone  in  company 
with  her  mate.  As  for  Spike,  I  despise  him  too  much  to 
fear  him.  He  must  soon  go  into  port  somewhere,  and  at 
the  first  place  where  he  touches  we  shall  quit  him.  He 
dare  not  detain  us — nay,  he  cannot — and  I  do  not  fear  him. 
We  will  save  Harry,  but  I  shall  remain  with  my  aunt." 

"We'll  see,  Miss  Rose,  we'll  see,"  said  Tier,  smiling. 
"  Perhaps  a  handsome  young  man,  like  Mr.  Mulford,  will 
have  better  luck  in  persuading  you  than  an  old  fellow  like 
me.  If  he  should  fail,  'twill  be  his  own  fault." 

So  thought  Jack  Tier,  judging  of  women  as  he  had  found 
them,  but  so  did  not  think  Rose  Budd.  The  conversation 
ended  here,  however,  each  keeping  in  view  its  purport, 
and  the  serious  business  that  was  before  them. 

The  duty  of  the  vessel  went  on  as  usual.  The  night 
promised  to  be  clouded,  but  not  very  dark,  as  there  was  a 
moon.  When  Spike  ordered  the  anchor-watches,  he  had 
great  care  to  spare  his  crew  as  much  as  possible,  for  the 
next  day  was  likely  to  be  one  of  great  toil  to  them.  He 
intended  to  get  the  schooner  up  again,  if  possible;  and 
though  he  might  not  actually  pump  her  out  so  as  to  cause 
her  to  float,  enough  water  was  to  be  removed  to  enable 
him  to  get  at  the  doubloons.  The  situation  of  the  bread- 
locker  was  known,  and  as  soon  as  the  cabin  was  sufficiently 
freed  from  water  to  enable  one  to  move  about  in  it,  Spike 

VOL.  II.  —  5 


50  JACK  TIER; 

did  not  doubt  his  being  able  to  get  at  the  gold.  With  his 
resources  and  ingenuity,  the  matter  in  his  own  mind  was 
reduced  to  one  of  toil  and  time.  Eight-arid-forty  hours, 
and  some  hard  labour,  he  doubted  not  would  effect  all  he 
cared  for. 

In  setting  the  anchor-watches  for  the  night,  therefore, 
Stephen  Spike  bethought  him  as  much  of  the  morrow  as 
of  the  present  moment.  Don  Juan  offered  to  remain  on 
deck  until  midnight,  and  as  he  was  as  capable  of  giving  an 
alarm  as  any  one  else,  the  offer  was  accepted.  Josh  and 
Simon  were  to  succeed  the  Mexican,  and  to  hold  the  look 
out  for  two  hours,  when  Jack  was  to  relieve  them,  and  to 
continue  on  deck  until  light  returned,  when  he  was  to  give 
the  captain  a  call.  This  arrangement  made,  Tier  turned 
in  at  once,  desiring  the  cook  to  call  him  half  an  hour 
before  the  proper  period  of  his  watch  commenced.  That 
half  hour  Jack  intended  to  employ  in  exercising  his  elo 
quence  in  endeavouring  to  persuade  either  Josh  or  Simon 
to  be  of  his  party.  By  eight  o'clock  the  vessel  lay  in  a 
profound  quiet,  Sefior  Montefalderon  pacing  the  quarter 
deck  alone,  while  the  deep  breathing  of  Spike  was  to  be 
heard  issuing  through  the  open  window  of  his  state-room ; 
a  window  which  it  may  be  well  to  say  to  the  uninitiated, 
opened  in-board,  or  toward  the  deck,  and  not  outboard,  or 
toward  the  sea. 

For  four  solitary  hours  did  the  Mexican  pace  the  deck 
of  the  stranger,  resting  himself  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  time 
only,  when  wearied  with  walking.  Does  the  reader  fancy 
that  a  man  so  situated  had  not  plenty  of  occupation  for  his 
thoughts?  Don  Juan  Montefalderon  was  a  soldier  and  a 
gallant  cavalier;  and  love  of  country  had  alone  induced 
him  to  engage  in  his  present  duties.  Not  that  patriotism 
which  looks  to  political  preferment  through  a  popularity 
purchased  by  the  vulgar  acclamation  which  attends  success 
in  arms,  even  when  undeserved,  or  that  patriotism  which 
induces  men  of  fallen  characters  to  endeavour  to  retrieve 
former  offences  by  the  shortest  and  most  reckless  mode,  or 
that  patriotism  which  shouts  "  our  country  right  or  wrong," 
regardless  alike  of  God  and  his  eternal  laws,  that  are  never 
to  be  forgotten  with  impunity ;  but  the  patriotism  which 
would  defend  his  home  and  fire-side,  his  altars  and  the 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA.     REEF.  51 

graves  of  his  fathers,  from  the  ruthless  steps  of  the  invader. 
We  shall  not  pretend  to  say  how  far  this  gentleman  entered 
into  the  merits  of  the  quarrel  between  the  two  republics, 
which  no  arts  of  European  jealousy  can  ever  conceal  from 
the  judgment  of  truth,  for,  with  him,  matters  had  gone 
beyond  the  point  when  men  feel  the  necessity  of  reasoning, 
and  when,  perhaps,  if  such  a  condition  of  the  mind  is  ever 
to  be  defended,  he  found  his  perfect  justification  in  feeling. 
He  had  travelled,  and  knew  life  by  observation,  and  not 
through  traditions  and  books.  He  had  never  believed, 
therefore,  that  his  countrymen  could  march  to  Washington, 
or  even  to  the  Sabine ;  but  he  had  hoped  for  better  things 
than  had  since  occurred.  The  warlike  qualities  of  the 
Americans  of  the  North,  as  he  was  accustomed  to  call 
those  who  term  themselves,  par  excellence,  Americans,  a 
name  they  are  fated  to  retain,  and  to  raise  high  on  the  scale 
of  national  power  and  national  pre-eminence,  unless  they 
fall  by  their  own  hands,  had  taken  him  by  surprise,  as 
they  have  taken  all  but  those  who  knew  the  country  well, 
and  who  understood  its  people.  Little  had  he  imagined 
that  the  small,  widely-spread  body  of  regulars,  that  figured 
in  the  blue  books,  almanacs  and  army-registers  of  America, 
as  some  six  or  seven  thousand  men,  scattered  along  frontiers 
of  a  thousand  leagues  in  extent,  could,  at  the  beck  of 'the 
government,  swell  into  legions  of  invaders,  men  able  to 
carry  war  to  the  capitals  of  his  own  states,  thousands  of 
miles  from  their  doors,  and  formidable  alike  for  their  energy, 
their  bravery,  their  readiness  in  the  use  of  arms,  and  their 
numbers.  He  saw  what  is  perhaps  justly  called  the  boasting 
of  the  American  character,  vindicated  by  their  exploits; 
and  marches,  conquests  and  victories  that,  if  sober  truth 
were  alone  to  cover  the  pages  of  history,  would  far  outdo 
in  real  labour  and  danger  the  boasted  passage  of  the  Alps 
under  Napoleon,  and  the  exploits  that  succeeded  it. 

Don  Juan  Montefalderon  was  a  grave  and  thoughtful 
man,  of  pure  Iberian  blood.  He  might  have  had  about 
him  a  little  of  the  exaltation  of  the  Spanish  character;  the 
overflowings  of  a  generous  chivalry  at  the  bottom ;  and, 
under  its  influence,  he  may  have  set  too  high  an  estimate 
on  Mexico  and  her  sons,  but  he  was  not  one  to  shut  his 
eyes  to  the  truth.  He  saw  plainly  that  the  northern  neigh- 


52  JACK   TIER; 

bours  of  his  country  were  a  race  formidable  and  enterprising, 
and  that  of  all  the  calumnies  that  had  been  heaped  upon 
them  by  rivalries  and  European  superciliousness,  that  of 
their  not  being  military  by  temperament  was,  perhaps,  the 
most  absurd  of  all.  On  the  contrary,  he  had  himself,  though 
anticipating  evil,  been  astounded  by  the  suddenness  and 
magnitude  of  their  conquests,  which  in  a  few  short  months 
after  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities,  had  overrun  regions 
larger  in  extent  than  many  ancient  empires.  All  this  had 
been  done,  too,  not  by  disorderly  and  barbarous  hordes, 
seeking  in  other  lands  the  abundance  that  was  wanting 
at  home;  but  with  system  and  regularity,  by  men  who 
had  turned  the  ploughshare  into  the  sword  for  the  oc 
casion,  quitting  abundance  to  encounter  fatigue,  famine, 
and  danger.  In  a  word,  the  Senor  Montefalderon  saw 
all  the  evils  that  environed  his  own  land,  and  foresaw 
others,  of  a  still  graver  character  that  menaced  the  future. 
On  matters  such  as  these  did  he  brood  in  his  walk,  and 
bitter  did  he  find  the  minutes  of  that  sad  and  lonely  watch. 
Although  a  Mexican,  he  could  feel ;  although  an  avowed 
foe  of  this  good  republic  of  ours,  he  had  his  'principles,  his 
affections,  and  his  sense  of  right.  Whatever  may  be  the 
merits  of  the  quarrel,  and  we  are  not  disposed  to  deny  that 
our  provocation  has  been  great,  a  sense  of  right  should 
teach  every  man  that  what  may  be  patriotic  in  an  American, 
would  not  be  exactly  the  same  thing  in  a  Mexican,  and 
that  we  ought  to  respect  in  others  sentiments  that  are  so 
much  vaunted  among  ourselves.  Midnight  at  length  arrived, 
and,  calling  the  cook  and  steward,  the  unhappy  gentleman 
was  relieved,  and  went  to  his  berth  to  dream,  in  sorrow, 
over  the  same  pictures  of  national  misfortunes,  on  which, 
while  waking,  he  had  brooded  in  such  deep  melancholy. 

The  watch  of  Josh  and  Simon  was  tranquil,  meeting 
with  no  interruption  until  it  was  time  to  summon  Jack. 
One  thing  these  men  had  done,  however,  that  was  of  some 
moment  to  Tier,  under  a  pledge  given  by  Josh,  and  which 
had  been  taken  in  return  for  a  dollar  in  hand.  They  had 
managed  to  haul  the  light-house  Loat  alongside,  from  its 
position  astern,  and  this  so  noiselessly  as  not  to  give  the 
alarm  to  any  one.  There  it  lay,  when  Jack  appeared, 
ready  at  the  main-rigging,  to  receive  him  at  any  moment 
be  might  choose  to  enter  it. 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  53 

A  few  minutes  after  Jack  appeared  on  deck,  Rose  and 
Biddy  came  stealthily  out  of  the  cabin,  the  latter  carrying 
a  basket  filled  with  bread  and  broken  meat,  and  not  wanting 
in  sundry  little  delicacies,  such  as  woman's  hands  prepare, 
and,  in  this  instance,  woman's  tenderness  had  provided. 
The  whole  party  met  at  the  galley,  a  place  so  far  removed 
from  the  state-rooms  aft  as  to  be  out  of  ear-shot.  Here 
Jack  renewed  his  endeavours  to  persuade  either  Josh  or 
Simon  to  go  in  the  boat,  but  without  success.  The  negroes 
had  talked  the  matter  over  in  their  watch,  and  had  come 
to  the  conclusion  the  enterprise  was  too  hazardous. 

"I  tell  you,  Jack,  you  doesn't  know  Cap'in  Spike  as  well 
as  I  does,"  Josh  said,  in  continuance  of  the  discourse.  "  No, 
you  does  n't  know  him  at  all  as  well  as  I  does.  If  he  finds 
out  that  anybody  has  quit  dis  brig  dis  werry  night,  woful 
will  come !  It  no  good  to  try  to  run;  I  run  t'ree  time,  an5 
Simon  here  run  twice.  What  good  it  all  do?  We  got 
cotched,  and  here  we  is,  just  as  fast  as  ever.  I  knows 
Cap'in  Spike,  and  doesn't  want  to  fall  in  athwart  his  hawse 
any  more." 

*•'  Y-e-s,  dat  my  judgment  too,"  put  in  the  cook.  "  We 
wishes  you  well,  Jack,  and  we  wishes  Miss  Rose  well,  and 
Mr.  Mulford  well,  but  we  can't,  no  how,  run  ath'art  hawse, 
as  Josh  says.  Dat  is  my  judgment,  too." 

"Well,  if  your  minds  are  made  up  to  this,  my  darkies, 
I  s'pose  there'll  be  no  changing  them,"  said  Jack.  "At 
all  ewents  you'll  lend  us  a  hand,  by  answering  any  hail 
that  may  come  from  aft,  in  my  watch,  and  in  keeping  our 
secret.  There 's  another  thing  you  can  do  for  us,  which 
may  be  of  sarvice.  Should  Captain  Spike  miss  the  boat, 
and  lay  any  trap  to  catch  us,  you  can  just  light  this  here 
bit  of  lantern  and  hang  it  over  the  brig's  bows,  where  he'll 
not  be  likely  to  see  it,  that  we  may  know  matters  are  going 
wrong,  and  give  the  craft  a  wide  berth." 

"  Sartain,"  said  Josh,  who  entered  heartily  into  the  affair, 
so  far  as  good  wishes  for  its  success  were  concerned,  at 
the  very  moment  when  he  had  a  most  salutary  care  of  his 
own  back.     "Sartain;  we  do  all  dat,  and  no  t'ank  asked. 
It  no  great  matter  to  answer  a  hail,  or  to  light  a  lantern 
.and  sling  him  over  de  bows;  and  if  Captain  Spike  want  to 
know  who  did  it,  let  him  find  out." 
5* 


54  J  A  C  K    T  I  E  R ; 

Here  both  negroes  laughed  heartily,  manifesting  so  little 
care  to  suppress  their  mirth,  that  Rose  trembled  lest  their 
noise  should  awaken  Spike.  Accustomed  sounds,  however, 
seldom  produce  this  effect  on  the  ears  of  the  sleeper,  and 
the  heavy  breathing  from  the  state-room,  succeeded  the 
merriment  of  the  blacks,  as  soon  as  the  latter  ceased. 
Jack  now  announced  his  readiness  to  depart.  Some  little 
care  and  management  were  necessary  to  get  into  the  boat 
noiselessly,  more  especially  with  Biddy.  It  was  done  how 
ever,  with  the  assistance  of  the  blacks,  who  cast  off  the 
painter,  when  Jack  gave  the  boat  a  shove  to  clear  the  brig, 
and  suffered  it  to  drift  astern  for  a  considerable  distance 
before  he  ventured  to  cast  loose  the  sail. 

"  I  know  Spike  well,"  said  Jack,  in  answer  to  a  remon 
strance  from  the  impatient  Rose  concerning  his  delay  :  "  A 
single  flap  of  that  canvas  would  wake  him  up,  with  the 
brig  anchored,  while  he  would  sleep  through  a  salute  of 
heavy  guns  if  it  came  in  regular  course.  Quick  ears  has 
old  Stephen,  and  it's  best  to  humour  them.  In  a  minute 
more  we  '11  set  our  canvas  and  be  off." 

All  was  done  as  Jack  desired,  and  the  boat  got  away 
from  the  brig  unheard  and  undetected.  It  was  blowing  a 
good  breeze,  and  Jack  Tier  had  no  sooner  got  the  sail  on 
the  boat,  than  away  it  started  at  a  speed  that  would  have 
soon  distanced  Spike  in  his  yawl,  and  with  his  best  oarsmen. 
The  main  point  was  to  keep  the  course,  though  the  direc 
tion  of  the  wind  was  a  great  assistant.  By  keeping  the 
wind  abeam,  Jack  thought  he  should  be  going  toward  the 
rock  of  Mulford.  In  one  hour,  or  even  in  less  time,  he 
expected  to  reach  it,  and  he  was  guided  by  time,  in  his 
calculations,  as  much  as  by  any  other  criterion.  Previously 
to  quitting  the  brig,  he  had  gone  up  a  few  ratlins  of  the 
fore-rigging  to  take  the  bearings  of  the  fire  on  Mulford's 
rock,  but  the  light  was  no  longer  visible.  As  no  star  was 
to  be  seen,  the  course  was  a  little  vague,  but  Jack  was 
navigator  enough  to  understand  that  by  keeping  on  the 
weather  side  of  the  channel  he  was  in  the  right  road,  and 
that  his  great  danger  of  missing  his  object  was  in  over 
running  it. 

So  much  of  the  reef  was  above  water,  that  it  was  not 
difficult  to  steer  a  boat  along  its  margin.  The  darkness, 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  55 

to  be  sure,  rendered  it  a  little  uncertain  how  near  they 
were  running  to  the  rocks,  but,  on  the  whole,  Jack  assured 
Rose  he  had  no  great  difficulty  in  getting  along. 

"  These  trades  are  almost  as  good  as  compasses,"  he 
said,  "  and  the  rocks  are  better,  if  we  can  keep  close  aboard 
them  without  going  on  to  them.  I  do  not  know  the  exact 
distance  of  the  spot  we  seek  from  the  brig,  but  I  judged  it 
to  be  about  two  leagues,  as  I  looked  at  it  from  aloft.  Now, 
this  boat  will  travel  them  two  leagues  in  an  hour,  with 
this  breeze  and  in  smooth  water." 

"  I  wish  you  had  seen  the  fire  again  before  we  left  the 
brig,"  said  Rose,  too  anxious  for  the  result  not  to  feel 
uneasiness  on  some  account  or  other. 

"  The  mate  is  asleep,  and  the  fire  has  burned  down ; 
that's  the  explanation.  Besides,  fuel  is  not  too  plenty  on 
a  place  like  that  Mr.  Mulford  inhabits  just  now.  As  we 
get  near  the  spot,  I  shall  look  out  for  embers,  which  may 
sarve  as  a  light-house,  or  beacon,  to  guide  us  into  port." 

"  Mr.  Mulford  will  be  charmed  to  see  us,  now  that  we 
take  him  wather  !"  exclaimed  Biddy.  "  Wather  is  a  blessed 
thing,  and  it 's  hard  will  be  the  heart  that  does  not  fale 
gratitude  for  a  plenty  of  swate  wather." 

"  The  maty  has  plenty  of  food  and  water  where  he  is," 
said  Jack.  "  I  '11  answer  for  both  them  sarcumstances.  I 
saw  him  turn  a  turtle  as  plain  as  if  I  had  been  at  his  elbow, 
and  I  saw  him  drinking  at  a  hole  in  the  rock,  as  heartily 
as  a  boy  ever  pulled  at  a  gimblet-hole  in  a  molasses  hogs 
head." 

"  But  the  distance  was  so  great,  Jack,  I  should  hardly 
think  you  could  have  distinguished  objects  so  small." 

"  I  went  by  the  motions  altogether.  I  saw  the  man,  and 
I  saw  the  movements,  and  I  knowed  what  the  last  meant. 
It 's  true  I  could  n't  swear  to  the  turtle,  though  I  saw  some 
thing  on  the  rock  that  I  knowed,  by  the  way  in  which  it 
was  handled,  must  be  a  turtle.  Then  I  saw  the  mate  kneel, 
and  put  his  head  low,  and  then  I  knowed  he  was  drinking." 

"  Perhaps  he  prayed,"  said  Rose,  solemnly. 

"  Not  he.  Sailors  isn't  so  apt  to  pray,  Miss  Rose  ;  not 
as  apt  as  they  ought  to  be.  Women  for  prayers,  and  men 
for  work.  Mr.  Mulford  is  no  worse  than  many  others,  but 
I  doubt  if  he  be  much  given  to  that" 


56  JACKTIEU; 

To  this  Rose  made  no  answer,  but  Biddy  took  the  matter 
up,  and,  as  the  boat  went  briskly  ahead,  she  pursued  the 
subject. 

"  Then  more  is  the  shame  for  him,"  said  the  Irish  woman, 
"  and  Miss  Rose,  and  missus,  and  even  I  prayin'  for  him, 
all  as  if  he  was  our  own  brudder.  It 's  seldom  I  ask  any 
thing  for  a  heretic,  but  I  could  not  forget  a  fine  young  man 
like  Mr.  Mulford,  and  Miss  Rose  so  partial  to  him,  and  he 
in  so  bad  a  way.  He  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  make  his 
brags  that  he  is  too  proud  to  pray." 

"  Harry  has  made  no  such  wicked  boast,"  put  in  Rose, 
mildly;  "nor  do  we  know  that  he  has  not  prayed  for  us, 
as  well  as  for  himself.  It  may  all  be  a  mistake  of  Jack's, 
you  know." 

"  Yes,"  added  Jack,  coolly,  "  it  may  be  a  mistake,  a'ter 
all,  for  I  was  lookin'  at  the  maty  six  miles  off,  and  through 
a  spy-glass.  No  one  can  be  sure  of  anything  at  such  a 
distance.  So  overlook  the  matter,  my  good  Biddy,  and 
carry  Mr.  Mulford  the  nice  things  you've  mustered  in  that 
basket,  all  the  same  as  if  he  was  pope." 

"  This  is  a  subject  we  had  better  drop,"  Rose  quietly 
observed. 

"  Anything  to  oblige  you,  Miss  Rose,  though  religion  is 
a  matter  it  would  do  me  no  harm  to  talk  about  once  and 
awhile.  It's  many  a  long  year  since  I've  had  time  and 
opportunity  to  bring  my  thoughts  to  dwell  on  holy  things. 
Ever  since  I  left  my  mother's  side,  I've  been  a  wanderer 
in  my  mind,  as  much  as  in  my  body." 

"  Poor  Jack !  I  understand  and  feel  for  your  sufferings ; 
but  a  better  time  will  come,  when  you  may  return  to  the 
habits  of  your  youth,  and  to  the  observances  of  your  church." 

"I  don't  know  that,  Miss  Rose;  I  don't  know  that," 
answered  Tier,  placing  the  elbow  of  his  short  arm  on  the 
seemingly  shorter  leg,  and  bending  his  head  so  low  as  to 
lean  his  face  on  the  palm  of  the  hand,  an  attitude  in  which 
he  appeared  to  be  suffering  keenly  through  his  recollec 
tions.  "  Childhood  and  innocence  never  come  back  to  us 
in  this  world.  What  the  grave  may  do,  we  shall  all  learn 
in  time." 

"Innocence  can  return  to  all  with  repentance,  Jack; 
and  the  heart  that  prompts  you  to  do  acts  as  generous  as 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  57 

this  you  are  now  engaged  in,  must  contain  some  good  seed 

yet." 

"  If  Jack  will  go  to  a  praste  and  just  confess,  when  he 
can  find  a  father,  it  will  do  his  sowl  good,"  said  Biddy, 
who  was  touched  by  the  mental  suffering  of  the  strange 
little  being  at  her  side. 

But  the  necessity  of  managing  the  boat  soon  compelled 
its  coxswain  to  raise  his  head,  and  to  attend  to  his  duty. 
The  wind  sometimes  came  in  puffs,  and  at  such  moments 
Jack  saw  that  the  large  sail  of  the  light-house  boat  required 
watching,  a  circumstance  that  induced  him  to  shake  off  his 
melancholy,  and  give  his  mind  more  exclusively  to  the  busi 
ness  before  him.  As  for  Rose,  she  sympathised  deeply 
with  Jack  Tier,  for  she  knew  his  history,  his  origin,  the 
story  of  his  youth,  and  the  well-grounded  causes  of  his 
contrition  and  regrets.  From  her,  Jack  had  concealed  no 
thing,  the  gentle  commiseration  of  one  like  Rose  being  a 
balm  to  wounds  that  had  bled  for  long  and  bitter  years. 
The  great  poet  of  our  language,  and  the  greatest  that  ever 
lived,  perhaps,  short  of  the  inspired  writers  of  the  Old  Tes 
tament,  and  old  Homer  and  Dante,  has  well  reminded  us 
that  the  "  little  beetle,"  in  yielding  its  breath,  can  "  feel  a 
pang  as  great  as  when  a  giant  dies."  Thus  is  it,  too,  in 
morals.  Abasement,  and  misery,  and  poverty,  and  sin, 
may,  and  all  do,  contribute  to  lower  the  tone  of  our  moral 
existence ;  but  the  principle  that  has  been  planted  by  na 
ture,  can  be  eradicated  by  nature  only.  It  exists  as  long 
as  we  exist;  and  if  dormant  for  a  time,  under  the  pressure 
of  circumstances,  it  merely  lies,  in  the  moral  system,  like 
the  acorn,  or  the  chestnut,  in  the  ground,  waiting  its  time 
and  season  to  sprout,  and  bud,  and  blossom.  Should  that 
time  never  arrive,  it  is  not  because  the  seed  is  not  there, 
but  because  it  is  neglected.  Thus  was  it  with  the  singular 
being  of  whose  feelings  we  have  just  spoken.  The  germ 
of  goodness  had  been  implanted  early  in  him,  and  was 
nursed  with  tenderness  and  care,  until,  self-willed,  and  go 
verned  by  passion,  he  had  thrown  off  the  connections  of 
youth  and  childhood,  to  connect  himself  with  Spike — a 
connection  that  had  left  him  what  he  was.  Before  closing 
our  legend,  we  shall  have  occasion  to  explain  it. 

"  We  have  run  our  hour,  Miss  Rose,"  resumed  Jack, 


58  JACK   TIER; 

breaking  a  continued  silence,  during  which  the  boat  had 
passed  through  along  line  of  water ;  "we  have  run  our 
hour,  and  ought  to  be  near  the  rock  we  are  in  search  of. 
But  the  morning  is  so  dark  that  I  fear  we  shall  have  diffi 
culty  in  finding  it.  It  will  never  do  to  run  past  it,  and  we 
must  haul  closer  into  the  reef,  and  shorten  sail,  that  we 
may  be  sartain  to  make  no  such  mistake." 

Rose  begged  her  companion  to  omit  no  precaution,  as 
it  would  be  dreadful  to  fail  in  their  search,  after  incurring 
so  much  risk  in  their  own  persons. 

"  Harry  may  be  sleeping  on  the  sea-weed  of  which  you 
spoke,"  she  added,  "  and  the  danger  of  passing  him  will  be 
much  increased  in  such  a  case.  What  a  gloomy  and  fright 
ful  spot  is  this,  in  which  to  abandon  a  human  being !  I  fear, 
Jack,  that  we  have  come  faster  than  we  have  supposed,  and 
may  already  have  passed  the  rock." 

"  I  hope  not,  Miss  Rose — it  seemed  to  me  a  good  two 
leagues  to  the  place  where  I  saw  him,  and  the  boat  is  fast 
that  will  run  two  leagues  in  an  hour." 

"  We  do  not  know  the  time,  Jack,  and  are  obliged  to 
guess  at  that  as  well  as  at  the  distance.  How  very  dark  it 
is!" 

Dark,  in  one  sense,  it  was  not,  though  Rose's  apprehen 
sions,  doubtless,  induced  her  to  magnify  every  evil.  The 
clouds  certainly  lessened  the  light  of  the  moon;  but  there 
was  still  enough  of  the  last  to  enable  one  to  see  surround 
ing  objects;  and  most  especially  to  render  distinct  the 
character  of  the  solitude  that  reigned  over  the  place. 

The  proximity  of  the  reef,  which  formed  a  weather  shore 
to  the  boat,  prevented  anything  like  a  swell  on  the  water, 
notwithstanding  the  steadiness  and  strength  of  the  breeze, 
which  had  now  blown  for  near  twenty-four  hours.  The 
same  wind,  in  open  water,  would  have  raised  sea  enough 
to  cause  a  ship  to  pitch,  or  roll;  whereas,  the  light-house 
boat,  placed  where  she  was,  scarce  rose  and  fell  under  the 
undulations  of  the  channel  through  which  she  was  glanc 
ing. 

"  This  is  a  good  boat,  and  a  fast  boat  too,"  observed 
Jack  Tier,  after  he  had  luffed  up  several  minutes,  in  order 
to  make  sure  of  his  proximity  to  the  reef;  Kt  and  it  might 
carry  us  all  safe  enough  to  Key  West,  or  certainly  back  to 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  59 

the  Dry  Tortugas,  was  we  inclined  to  try  our  hands  at 
either." 

"I  cannot  quit  my  aunt/'  said  Rose,  quickly,  "  so  we 
will  not  even  think  of  any  such  thing." 

"  No,  't  would  never  do  to  abandon  the  missus,"  said 
Biddy,  "  and  she  on  the  wrack  wid  us,  and  falin'  the  want 
of  watlier  as  much  as  ourselves," 

"  We  three  have  sartainly  gone  through  much  in  com 
pany,"  returned  Jack,  "  and  it  ought  to  make  us  friends 
for  life." 

"I  trust  it  will,  Jack;  I  hope,  when  we  return  to  New 
York,  to  see  you  among  us,  anchored,  as  you  would  call 
it,  for  the  rest  of  your  days  under  my  aunt's  roof,  or  under 
my  own,  should  I  ever  have  one." 

"  No,  Miss  Rose,  my  business  is  with  the  Swash  and 
her  captain.  I  shall  stick  by  both,  now  I've  found  'em 
again,  until  they  once  more  desart  me.  A  man's  duty  is 
his  duty,  and  a  woman's  duty  is  her  duty." 

"  You  same  to  like  the  brig  and  her  captain,  Jack  Tier," 
observed  Biddy,  "  and  there 's  no  use  in  gainsaying  such  a 
likin'.  What  will  come  to  pass,  must  come  to  pass.  Cap- 
tain  Spike  is  a  mighty  great  sailor,  anyway." 

"  He 's  a  willian  !"  muttered  Jack. 

"  There !"  cried  Rose,  almost  breathless,  "  there  is  a 
rock  above  the  water,  surely.  Do  not  fly  by  it  so  swiftly, 
Jack,  but  let  us  stop  and  examine  it." 

"  There  is  a  rock,  sure  enough,  and  a  large  piece  it  is," 
answered  Tier.  "  We  will  go  alongside  of  it,  and  see  what 
it  is  made  of.  Biddy  shall  be  boat-keeper,  while  you  and 
I,  Miss  Rose,  explore." 

Jack  had  thrown  the  boat  into  the  wind,  and  was  shoot 
ing  close  alongside  of  the  reef,  even  while  speaking.  The 
party  found  no  difficulty  in  landing ;  the  margin  of  the  rock 
admitting  the  boat  to  lie  close  alongside  of  it,  and  its  sur 
face  being  even  and  dry.  Jack  had  brailed  the  sail,  and 
he  brought  the  painter  ashore,  and  fastened  it  securely  to 
a  fragment  of  stone,  that  made  a  very  sufficient  anchor.  In 
addition  to  this  precaution,  a  lazy  painter  was  put  into 
Biddy's  hands,  and  she  was  directed  not  to  let  go  of  it 
while  her  companions  were  absent.  These  arrangements 


60  JACK  TIER; 

concluded,  Rose  and  Jack  commenced  a  hurried  examina 
tion  of  the  spot. 

A  few  minutes  sufficed  to  give  our  adventurers  a  tolera 
bly  accurate  notion  of  the  general  features  of  the  place  on 
which  they  had  landed.  It  was  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  reef  that  was  usually  above  water,  and  which  had  even 
some  fragments  of  soil,  or  sand,  on  which  was  a  stinted 
growth  of  bushes.  Of  these  last,  however,  there  were  very 
few,  nor  were  there  many  spots  of  the  sand.  Drift-wood 
and  sea-weed  were  lodged  in  considerable  quantities  about 
its  margin,  and,  in  places,  piles  of  both  had  been  tossed 
upon  the  rock  itself,  by  the  billows  of  former  gales  of  wind. 
Nor  was  it  long  before  Jack  discovered  a  turtle  that  had 
been  up  to  a  hillock  of  sand,  probably  to  deposit  its  eggs. 
There  was  enough  of  the  sportsman  in  Jack,  notwithstand 
ing  the  business  he  was  on,  to  turn  this  animal ;  though 
with  what  object,  he  might  have  been  puzzled  himself  to 
say.  This  exploit  effected,  Jack  followed  Rose  as  fast  as 
his  short  legs  would  permit,  our  heroine  pressing  forward 
eagerly,  though  almost  without  hope,  in  order  to  ascertain 
if  Mulford  were  there. 

*'  I  am  afraid  this  is  not  the  rock,"  said  Rose,  nearly 
breathless  with  her  own  haste,  when  Jack  had  overtaken 
her.  "  I  see  nothing  of  him,  and  we  have  passed  over  most 
of  the  place." 

"  Very  true,  Miss  Rose,"  answered  her  companion,  who 
was  in  a  good  humour  on  account  of  his  capture  of  the  tur 
tle  ;  "  but  there  are  other  rocks  besides  this.  Ha  !  what 
was  that,  yonder,"  pointing  with  a  finger,  "  here,  more  to 
ward  the  brig.  As  I  'm  a  sinner,  there  was  a  flashing,  as 
of  fire." 

"  If  a  fire,  it  must  be  that  made  by  Harry.  Let  us  go 
to  the  spot  at  once." 

Jack  led  the  way,  and,  sure  enough,  he  soon  reached  a 
place  where  the  embers  of  what  had  been  a  considerable 
body  of  fire,  were  smouldering  on  the  rock.  The  wind  had 
probably  caused  some  brand  to  kindle  momentarily,  which 
was  the  object  that  had  caught  Tier's  eye.  No  doubt  any 
longer  remained  of  their  having  found  the  very  place  where 
the  mate  had  cooked  his  supper,  and  lighted  his  beacon, 
though  he  himself  was  not  near  it.  Around  these  embers 


OR,  THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  61 

were  all  the  signs  of  Mulford's  having  made  the  meal,  of 
which  Jack  had  seen  the  preparations.  A  portion  of  the 
turtle,  much  the  greater  part  of  it,  indeed,  lay  in  its  shell ; 
and  piles  of  wood  and  sea-weed,  both  dry,  had  been  placed 
at  hand,  ready  for  use.  A  ship's  topgallant-yard,  with  most 
of  its  rope  attached,  lay  with  a  charred  end  near  the  fire, 
or  where  the  fire  had  been,  the  wood  having  burned  until 
the  flames  went  out  for  want  of  contact  with  other  fuel, 
There  were  many  pieces  of  boards  of  pitch-pine  in  the  ad 
jacent  heap,  and  two  or  three  beautiful  planks  of  the  same 
wood,  entire.  In  short,  from  the  character  and  quantity 
of  the  materials  of  this  nature  that  had  thus  been  heaped 
together,  Jack  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  some  vessel, 
freighted  with  lumber,  had  been  wrecked  to  windward,  and 
that  the  adjacent,  rocks  had  been  receiving  the  tribute  of 
her  cargo.  Wrecks  are  of  very,  very  frequent  occurrence 
on  the  Florida  Reef;  and  there  are  always  moments  when 
such  gleanings  are  to  be  made  in  some  part  of  it  or  other. 

"  I  see  no  better  way  to  give  a  call  to  the  mate,  Miss 
Rose,  than  to  throw  some  of  this  dry  weed,  and  some  of 
this  lumber  on  the  fire,"  said  Jack,  after  he  had  rummaged 
about  the  place  sufficiently  to  become  master  of  its  condi 
tion.  "  There  is  plenty  of  amunition,  and  here  goes  for  a 
broadside." 

Jack  had  no  great  difficulty  in  effecting  his  object.  In 
a  few  minutes  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  flame,  and  then 
he  fed  it  with  such  fragments  of  the  brands  and  boards  as 
were  best  adapted  to  his  purpose.  The  flames  extended 
gradually,  and  by  the  time  Tier  had  dragged  the  topgallant- 
yard  over  the  pile,  and  placed  several  planks,  on  their  edges, 
alongside  of  it,  the  whole  was  ready  to  burst  into  a  blaze. 
The  light  was  shed  athwart  the  rock  for  a  long  distance, 
and  the  whole  place,  which  was  lately  so  gloomy  and  ob 
scure,  now  became  gay,  under  the  bright  radiance  of  a  blaz 
ing  fire. 

"  There  is  a  beacon-light  that  might  almost  be  seen  on 
board  !"  said  Jack,  exulting  in  his  success.  If  the  mate 
is  anywhere  in  this  latitude,  he  will  soon  turn  up." 

"  I  see  nothing  of  him,"  answered  Rose,  in  a  melancholy 
voice.  "  Surely,  surely,  Jack,  he  cannot  have  left  the  rock 
just  as  we  have  come  to  rescue  him !" 

VOL.  II.  — 6 


62  JACK  TIER; 

Rose  and  her  companion  had  turned  their  faces  from  the 
fire  to  look  in  an  opposite  direction  in  quest  of  him  they 
sought.  Unseen  by  them,  a  human  form  advanced  swiftly 
toward  the  fire,  from  a  point  on  its  other  side.  It  advanced 
nearer,  then  hesitated,  afterward  rushed  forward  with  a 
tread  that  caused  the  two  to  turn,  and  at  the  next  moment. 
Rose  was  clasped  to  the  heart  of  Mulford. 


CHAPTER  III. 

I  might  have  pass'd  that  lovely  cheek, 

Nor,  perchance,  my  heart  have  left  me ; 

But  the  sensitive  blush  that  came  trembling  there, 

Of  my  heart  it  for  ever  bereft  me. 

Who  could  blame  had  I  loved  that  face, 

Ere  my  eyes  could  twice  explore  her; 

Yet  it  is  for  the  fairy  intelligence  there, 

And  her  warm,  warm  heart  I  adore  her. 

WOLTE. 

THE  stories  of  the  respective  parties  who  had  thus  so 
strangely  met  on  that  barren  and  isolated  rock,  were  soon 
told.  Harry  confirmed  all  of  Jack's  statements  as  to  his 
own  proceedings,  and  Rose  had  little  more  to  say  than  to 
add  how  much  her  own  affections  had  led  her  to  risk  in 
his  behalf.  In  a  word,  ten  minutes  made  each  fully  ac 
quainted  with  the  other's  movements.  Then  Tier  consid 
erately  retired  to  the  boat,  under  the  pretence  of  minding 
it,  and  seeing  everything  ready  for  a  departure,  but  as  much 
to  allow  the  lovers  the  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  of  uninterrupt 
ed  discourse  that  they  now  enjoyed,  as  for  any  other  reason. 

It  was  a  strange  scene  that  now  offered  on  the  rock.  By 
this  time  the  fire  was  burning  not  only  brightly,  but  fiercely, 
shedding  its  bright  light  far  and  near.  Under  its  most 
brilliant  rays  stood  Harry  and  Rose,  both  smiling  and  hap 
py,  delighted  in  their  meeting,  and,  for  the  moment,  for 
getful  of  all  but  their  present  felicity.  Never,  indeed,  had 
Rose  appeared  more  lovely  than  under  these  circumstances. 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  63 

Her  face  was  radiant  with  those  feelings  which  had  so  re 
cently  changed  from  despair  to  delight — a  condition  that 
is  ever  most  propitious  to  beauty ;  and  charms  that  always 
appeared  feminine  and  soft,  now  seemed  elevated  to  a  bright 
benignancy  that  might  best  be  likened  to  our  fancied  images 
of  angels.  The  mild,  beaming,  serene  and  intelligent  blue 
eyes,  the  cheeks  flushed  with  happiness,  the  smiles  that 
came  so  easily,  and  were  so  replete  with  tenderness,  and 
the  rich  hair,  deranged  by  the  breeze,  and  moistened  by  the 
air  of  the  sea,  each  and  all,  perhaps,  borrowed  some  addi 
tional  lustre  from  the  peculiar  light  under  which  they  were 
exhibited.  As  for  Harry,  happiness  had  thrown  all  the  dis 
advantages  of  exposure,  want  of  dress,  and  a  face  that  had  not 
felt  the  razor  for  six-and-thirty  hours,  into  the  back-ground. 
When  he  left  the  wreck,  he  had  cast  aside  his  cap  and  his 
light  summer  jacket,  in  order  that  they  might  not  encum 
ber  him  in  swimming,  but  both  had  been  recovered  when 
he  returned  with  the  boat  to  take  off  his  friends.  In  his 
ordinary  sea  attire,  then,  he  now  stood,  holding  Rose's  two 
hands  in  front  of  the  fire,  every  garment  clean  and  white 
as  the  waters  of  the  ocean  could  make  them,  but  all  betray 
ing  some  of  the  signs  of  his  recent  trials.  His  fine  coun 
tenance  was  full  of  the  love  he  bore  for  the  intrepid  and 
devoted  girl  who  had  risked  so  much  in  his  behalf;  and  a 
painter  might  have  wished  to  preserve  the  expression  of 
ardent,  manly  admiration  which  glowed  in  his  face,  answer 
ing  to  the  gentle  sympathy  and  womanly  tenderness  it  met 
in  that  of  Rose. 

The  back-ground  of  this  picture  was  the  wide,  even  sur 
face  of  the  coral  reef,  with  its  exterior  setting  of  the  dark 
and  gloomy  sea.  On  the  side  of  the  channel,  however,  ap 
peared  the  boat,  already  winded,  with  Biddy  still  on  the 
rock,  looking  kindly  at  the  lovers  by  the  fire,  while  Jack 
was  holding  the  painter,  beginning  to  manifest  a  little  im 
patience  at  the  delay. 

"  They  '11  stay  there  an  hour,  holding  each  other's  hands, 
and  looking  into  each  other's  faces,"  half  grumbled  the 
little,  rotund,  assistant-steward,  anxious  to  be  on  his  way 
back  to  the  brig,  "  unless  a  body  gives  'em  a  call.  Captain 
Spike  will  be  in  no  very  good  humour  to  receive  you  and 


G4  JACK  TIER; 

me  on  board  ag'in,  if  he  should  find  out  what  sort  of  a  trip 
we've  been  making  hereaway." 

"  Let  'em  alone — let  'em  alone,  Jacky,"  answered  the 
good-natured  and  kind-hearted  Irish  woman.  "  It 's  happy 
they  bees,  jist  now,  and  it  does  my  eyes  good  to  look  at 
'em." 

" Ay,  they're  happy  enough,  now;  I  only  hope  it  may 
last." 

"Last!  what  should  help  its  lasting?  Miss  Rose  is  so 
good,  and  so  handsome — and  she's  a  fortin',  too;  and  the 
mate  so  nice  a  young  man.  Think  of  the  likes  of  them, 
Jack,  wantin'  the  blessed  gift  of  wather,  and  all  within  one 
day  and  two  nights.  Sure  it's  Providence  that  takes  care 
of,  and  not  we  ourselves !  Kings  on  their  thrones  is  n't  as 
happy  as  them  at  this  moment." 

"  Men 's  willians  !"  growled  Jack ;  "  and  more  fools  wo 
men  for  trustin'  'em."  * 

"  Not  sich  a  nice  young  man  as  our  mate,  Jacky ;  no, 
not  he.  Now  the  mate  of  the  ship  I  came  from  Liverpool 
in,  this  time  ten  years  agone,  he  was  a  villain.  He  grudged 
us  our  potaties,  and  our  own  bread ;  and  he  grudged  us 
every  dhrap  of  swate  wather  that  went  into  our  mouths. 
Call  him  a  villain,  if  you  will,  Jack;  but  niver  call  the 
likes  of  Mr.  Mulford  by  so  hard  a  name." 

"I  wish  him  well,  and  nothing  else;  and  for  that  very 
reason  must  put  a  stop  to  his  looking  so  fondly  into  that 
young  woman's  face.  Time  wont  stand  still,  Biddy,  to  suit 
the  wishes  of  lovers;  and  Stephen  Spike  is  a  man  not  to 
be  trifled  with.  Halloo,  there,  maty!  It's  high  time  to 
think  of  getting  under  way." 

At  this  summons  both  Harry  and  Rose  started,  becoming 
aware  of  the  precious  moments  they  were  losing.  Carrying 
a  large  portion  of  the  turtle,  the  former  moved  toward  the 
craft,  in  which  all  were  seated  in  less  than  three  minutes, 
with  the  sail  loose,  and  the  boat  in  motion.  For  a  few 
moments  the  mate  was  so  much  occupied  with  Rose,  that 
he  did  not  advert  to  the  course;  but  one  of  his  experience 
could  not  long  be  misled  on  such  a  point,  and  he  turned 
suddenly  to  Tier,  who  was  steering,  to  remonstrate. 

"  How's  this,  Jack  !"  cried  Mulford;  "you've  got  the 
boat's  head  the  wrong  way." 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  65 

"Not  I,  sir.  She's  beading  for  the  brig  as  straight  as 
she  can  go.  This  wind  favours  us  on  both  legs;  and  it's 
lucky  it  does,  for  't  will  be  hard  on  upon  daylight  afore  we 
are  alongside  of  her.  You'll  want  half  an  hour  of  dark, 
at  the  very  least,  to  get  a  good  start  of  the  Swash,  in  case 
she  makes  sail  a'ter  you." 

"Straight  for  the  brig! — what  have  we  to  do  with  the 
brig?  Our  course  is  for  Key  West,  unless  it  raight  be 
better  to  run  down  before  the  wind  to  the  Dry  Tortugas 
again,  and  look  for  the  sloop-of-war.  Duty,  and  perhaps 
my  own  safety,  tells  me  to  let  Captain  Mull  know  what 
Spike  is  about  with  the  Swash ;  and  I  shall  not  hesitate  a 
moment  about  doing  it,  after  all  that  has  passed.  Give  me 
the  helm,  Jack,  and  let  us  ware  short  round  on  our  heel." 

"  Never,  master  maty — never.  I  must  go  back  to  the 
brig.  Miss  Rose,  there,  knows  that  my  business  is  with 
Stephen  Spike,  and  with  him  only." 

"  And  I  must  return  to  my  aunt,  Harry,"  put  in  Rose, 
herself.  "  It  would  never  do  for  me  to  desert  my  aunt,  you 
know." 

"  And  I  have  been  taken  from  that  rock,  to  be  given  up 
to  the  tender  mercies  of  Spike  again  ?" 

This  was  said  rather  in  surprise,  than  in  a  complaining 
way ;  and  it  at  once  induced  Rose  to  tell  the  young  man 
the  whole  of  their  project. 

"  Never,  Harry,  never,"  she  said  firmly.  "  It  is  our  inten 
tion  to  return  to  the  brig  ourselves,  and  let  you  escape  in  the 
boat  afterwards.  Jack  Tier  is  of  opinion  this  can  be  done 
without  much  risk,  if  we  use  proper  caution  and  do  not 
lose  too  much  time.  On  no  account  would  I  consent  to 
place  you  in  the  hands  of  Spike  again — death  would  be 
preferable  to  that,  Harry  !" 

"  And  on  no  account  can  or  will  I  consent  to  place  you 
again  in  the  hands  of  Spike,  Rose,"  answered  the  young 
man.  "Now  that  we  know  his  intentions,  such  an  act 
would  be  almost  impious." 

"  Remember  my  aunt,  dear  Harry.  What  would  be  her 
situation  in  the  morning,  when  she  found  herself  deserted 
by  her  niece  arid  Biddy — by  me,  whom  she  has  nursed  and 
watched  from  childhood,  and  whom  she  loves  so  well." 

"  I  shall  not  deny  your  obligations  to  your  aunt,  Rose, 
6* 


66  JACK    TIER; 

and  your  duty  to  her  under  ordinary  circumstances.  But 
these  are  not  ordinary  circumstances;  and  it  would  be 
courting  the  direst  misfortunes,  nay,  almost  braving  Provi 
dence,  to  place  yourself  in  the  hands  of  that  scoundrel 
again,  now  that  you  are  clear  of  them." 

"Spike's  a  willian !"  muttered  Jack. 

"  And  my  desartin'  the  missus  would  be  a  s^n  that  no 
praste  would  overlook  aisily,"  put  in  Biddy.  "  When 
Miss  Rose  told  me  of  this  v'y'ge  that  she  meant  to  make  in 
the  boat  wid  Jack  Tier,  I  asked  to  come  along,  that  I 
might  take  care  of  her,  and  see  that  there  was  plenty  of 
wather ;  but  ill-luck  befall  me  if  I  would  have  t'ought  of 
sich  a  thing,  and  the  missus  desarted." 

"  We  can  then  run  alongside  of  the  brig,  and  put  Biddy 
and  Jack  on  board  of  her,"  said  Mulford,  reflecting  a  mo 
ment  on  what  had  just  been  said,  "  when  you  and  I  can 
make  the  best  of  our  way  to  Key  West,  where  the  means 
of  sending  government  vessels  out  after  the  Swash  will 
soon  offer.  In  this  way  we  can  not  only  get  our  friends  out 
of  the  lion's  jaws,  but  keep  out  of  them  ourselves." 

"  Reflect  a  moment,  Harry,"  said  Rose,  in  a  low  voice, 
but  not  without  tenderness  in  its  tones;  "  it  would  not  do 
for  me  to  go  off  alone  with  you  in  this  boat." 

"  Not  when  you  have  confessed  your  willingness  to  go 
over  the  wide  world  with  me,  Rose — with  me,  and  with 
me  only?" 

"  Not  even  then,  Harry.  I  know  you  will  think  better 
of  this,  when  your  generous  nature  has  time  to  reason  with 
your  heart,  on  my  account." 

"  I  can  only  answer  in  your  own  words,  Rose — never. 
If  you  return  to  the  Swash,  I  shall  go  on  board  with  you, 
and  throw  defiance  into  the  very  teeth  of  Spike.  I  know 
the  men  do  not  dislike  me,  and,  perhaps,  assisted  by  Senor 
Montefalderon,  and  a  few  friends  among  the  people,  I  can 
muster  a  force  that  will  prevent  my  being  thrown  into  the 
sea." 

Rose  burst  into  tears,  and  then  succeeded  many  minutes, 
during  which  Mulford  was  endeavouring,  with  manly  ten 
derness,  to  soothe  her.  As  soon  as  our  heroine  recovered 
her  self-command,  she  began  to  discuss  the  matter  at  issue 
between  them  more  coolly.  For  half  an  hour  everything 


OH,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  67 

was  urged  by  each  that  feeling,  affection,  delicacy,  or  dis 
trust  of  Spike  could  well  urge,  and  Mulford  was  slowly  get 
ting  the  best  of  the  argument,  as  well  he  might,  the  truth 
being  mostly  of  his  side.  Rose  was  bewildered,  really 
feeling  a  strong  reluctance  to  quit  her  aunt,  even  with  so 
justifiable  a  motive,  but  principally  shrinking  from  the  ap 
pearance  of  going  off  alone  in  a  boat,  and  almost  in  the 
open  sea,  with  Mulford.  Had  she  loved  Harry  less,  her 
scruples  might  not  have  been  so  active,  but  the  conscious 
ness  of  the  strength  of  her  attachment,  as  well  as  her  fixed 
intention  to  become  his  wife  the  moment  it  was  in  her 
power  to  give  him  her  hand  with  the  decencies  of  her  sex, 
contributed  strangely  to  prevent  her  yielding  to  the  young 
man's  reasoning.  On  the  subject  of  the  aunt,  the  mate 
made  out  so  good  a  case,  that  it  was  apparent  to  all  in  the 
boat  Rose  would  have  to  abandon  that  ground  of  refusal. 
Spike  had  no  object  to  gain  by  ill-treating  Mrs.  Budd ;  and 
the  probability  certainly  was  that  he  would  get  rid  of  her 
as  soon  as  he  could,  and  in  the  most  easy  manner.  This 
was  so  apparent  to  all,  that  Harry  had  little  difficulty  in 
getting  Rose  to  assent  to  its  probability.  But  there  re 
mained  the  reluctance  to  go  off  alone  with  the  mate  in  a 
boat.  This  part  of  the  subject  was  more  difficult  to  man 
age  than  the  other;  and  Mulford  betrayed  as  much  by  the 
awkwardness  with  which  he  managed  it.  At  length  the 
discussion  was  brought  to  a  close  by  Jack  Tier  suddenly 
saying,— 

"  Yonder  is  the  brig ;  and  we  are  heading  for  her  as 
straight  as  if  she  was  the  pole,  and  the  keel  of  this  boat  was  a 
compass.  I  see  how  it  is,  Miss  Rose,  and  a'ter  all,  I  must 
give  in.  I  suppose  some  other  opportunity  will  offer  for 
me  to  get  on  board  of  the  brig  ag'in,  and  I'll  trust  to  that. 
If  you  won't  go  off  with  the  mate  alone,  I  suppose  you'll 
not  refuse  to  go  off  in  my  company." 

"  Will  you  accompany  us,  Jack?  This  is  more  than  I 
had  hoped  for !  Yes,  Harry,  if  Jack  Tier  will  be  of  the 
party,  I  will  trust  my  aunt  to  Biddy,  and  go  with  you  to 
Key  West,  in  order  to  escape  from  Spike." 

This  was  said  so  rapidly,  and  so  unexpectedly,  as  to  take 
Mulford  completely  by  surprise.  Scarce  believing  what  he 
heard,  the  young  man  was  disposed,  at  first,  to  feel  hurt, 


68  JACK   TIER; 

though  a  moment's  reflection  showed  him  that  he  ought  to 
rejoice  in  the  result  let  the  cause  be  what  it  might. 

"  More  than  I  had  hoped  for  !"  he  could  not  refrain  from 
repeating  a  little  bitterly  ;  "  is  Jack  Tier,  then,  of  so  much 
importance,  that  his  company  is  thought  preferable  to 
mine !" 

"  Hush,  Harry  !"  said  Rose,  laying  her  hand  on  Mul- 
ford's  arm,  by  way  of  strengthening  her  appeal.  "Do  not 
say  that.  You  are  ignorant  of  circumstances ;  at  another 
time  you  shall  know  them,  but  not  now.  Let  it  be  enough 
for  the  present,  that  I  promise  to  accompany  you  if  Jack 
will  be  of  our  party." 

"  Ay,  ay,  Miss  Rose,  I  will  be  of  the  party,  seeing  there 
IB  no  other  way  of  getting  the  lamb  out  of  the  jaws  of  the 
wolf.  A'ter  all,  it  may  be  the  wisest  thing  I  can  do,  though 
back  to  the  Swash  I  must  and  will  come,  powder  or  no 
powder,  treason  or  no  treason,  at  the  first  opportunity.  Yes, 
my  business  is  with  the  Molly,  and  to  the  Molly  I  shall  re 
turn.  It's  lucky,  Miss  Rose,  since  you  have  made  up  your 
mind  to  ship  for  this  new  cruise,  that  I  bethought  me  of 
telling  Biddy  to  make  up  a  bundle  of  duds  for  you.  This 
carpet-bag  has  a  change  or  two  in  it,  and  all  owing  to  my 
forethought.  Your  woman  said  'Miss  Rose  will  come 
back  wid  us,  Jack,  and  what's  the  use  of  rumplin'  the 
clothes  for  a  few  hours'  sail  in  the  boat;'  but  I  knew  wo 
mankind  better,  and  foreseed  that  if  master  mate  fell  in 
alongside  of  you  ag'in,  you  would  not  be  apt  to  part  com 
pany  very  soon." 

"  I  thank  you,  Jack,  for  the  provision  made  for  my  com 
fort  ;  though  some  money  would  have  added  to  it  mate 
rially.  My  purse  has  a  little  gold  in  it,  but  a  very  little, 
and  I  fear  you  are  not  much  better  off,  Harry.  It  will  be 
awkward  to  find  ourselves  in  Key  West  penniless." 

"  We  shall  not  be  quite  that.  I  left  the  brig  absolutely 
without  a  cent,  but  foreseeing  that  necessity  might  make 
them  of  use,  I  borrowed  half  a  dozen  of  the  doubloons  from 
the  bag  of  Senior  Montefalderon,  and,  fortunately,  they  are 
still  in  my  pocket.  All  I  am  worth  in  the  world  is  in  a 
bag  of  half-eagles,  rather  more  than  a  hundred  altogether, 
which  I  left  in  my  chest,  in  my  own  state-room  aboard  the 
brig." 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  69 

"  You  '11  find  that  in  the  carpet-bag  too,  master  mate," 
said  Jack,  coolly. 

"  Find  what,  man — not  my  money,  surely  1" 

"  Ay,  every  piece  of  it.  Spike  broke  into  your  chest 
this  a'ternoon,  and  made  me  hold  the  tools  while  he  was 
doing  it.  He  found  the  bag,  and  overhauled  it — a  hundred 
and  seven  half,  eleven  quarter,  and  one  full-grown  eagle, 
was  the  count.  When  he  had  done  the  job,  he  put  all- 
back  ag'in,  a'ter  giving  me  the  full-grown  eagle  for  my 
share  of  the  plunder,  and  told  me  to  say  nothing  of  what 
I  had  seen.  I  did  say  nothing,  but  I  did  a  good  bit  of 
work,  for,  while  he  was  at  supper,  I  confiserated  that  bag, 
as  they  call  it — and  you  will  find  it  there  among  Miss 
Rose's  clothes,  with  the  full-grown  gentleman  back  in  his 
nest  ag'in." 

"  This  is  being  not  only  honest,  Tier,"  cried  Mulford, 
heartily,  "  but  thoughtful.  One-half  that  money  shall  be 
yours  for  this  act." 

"  I  thank  'e,  sir;  but  I '11  not  touch  a  cent  of  it.  It  came 
hard,  I  know,  Mr.  Mulford ;  for  my  own  hands  have  smart 
ed  too  much  with  tar,  not  to  know  that  the  seaman  '  earns 
his  money  like  the  horse.'  " 

"  Still  it  would  not  be  '  spending  it  like  an  ass,'  Jack, 
to  give  you  a  portion  of  mine.  But  there  will  be  other  op 
portunities  to  talk  of  this.  It  is  a  sign  of  returning  to  the 
concerns  of  life,  Rose,  that  money  begins  to  be  of  interest 
to  us.  How  little  did  we  think  of  the  doubloons,  or  half- 
eagles,  a  few  hours  since,  when  on  the  wreck  !" 

"  It  was  wather  that  we  t' ought  of  then,"  put  in  Biddy. 
"  Goold  is  good  in  a  market,  or  in  a  town,  or  to  send  back 
to  Ireland,  to  help  a  body's  aged  fader  or  mudder  in  com 
fort  wid ;  but  wather  is  the  blessed  thing  on  a  wrack  !" 

"  The  brig  is  coming  quite  plainly  into  view,  and  you 
had  better  give  me  the  helm,  Jack.  It  is  time  to  bethink 
us  of  the  manner  of  approaching  her,  and  how  we  are  to 
proceed  when  alongside." 

This  was  so  obviously  true,  that  everybody  felt  disposed 
to  forget  all  other  matters,  in  order  to  conduct  the  proceed 
ings  of  the  next  twenty  minutes,  with  the  necessary  pru 
dence  and  caution.  When  Mulford  first  took  the  helm, 
the  brig  was  just  coming  clearly  into  view,  though  still 


70  JACK  TIER; 

looking  a  little  misty  and  distant.  She  might  then  have 
been  half  a  league  distant,  and  would  not  have  been  visible 
at  all  by  that  light,  but  for  the  circumstance  that  she  had 
no  back-ground  to  swallow  up  her  outlines.  Drawn  against 
clouds,  above  which  the  rays  of  the  moon  were  shed,  her 
tracery  was  to  be  discerned,  however,  and,  minute  by 
minute,  it  was  getting  to  be  more  and  more  distinct,  until 
it  was  now  so  plainly  to  be  seen  as  to  admonish  the  mate 
of  the  necessity  of  preparation  in  the  manner  mentioned. 

Tier  now  communicated  to  the  mate  his  own  proposed 
manner  of  proceeding.  The  brig  tended  to  the  trades,  the 
tides  having  very  little  influence  on  her,  in  the  bight  of  the 
reef  where  she  lay.  As  the  wind  stood  at  about  east  south 
east,  the  brig's  stern  pointed  to  about  west  north-west, 
while  the  boat  was  coming  down  the  passage  from  a  direc 
tion  nearly  north  from  her,  having,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
the  wind  just  free  enough  to  lay  her  course.  Jack's  plan 
was  to  pass  the  brig  to  windward,  and  having  got  well  on 
her  bow,  to  brail  the  sail,  and  drift  down  upon  her,  expect 
ing  to  fall  in  alongside,  abreast  of  the  fore-chains,  into 
which  he  had  intended  to  help  Biddy,  and  to  ascend  him 
self,  when  he  supposed  that  Mulford  would  again  make 
sail,  and  carry  off  his  mistress.  To  this  scheme  the  mate 
objected  that  it  was  awkward,  and  a  little  lubberly.  He 
substituted  one  in  its  place  that  differed  in  seamanship,  and 
which  was  altogether  better.  Instead  of  passing  to  wind 
ward,  Mulford  suggested  the  expediency  of  approaching 
to  leeward,  and  of  coming  alongside  under  the  open  bow- 
port,  letting  the  sheet  fly  and  brailing  the  sail,  when  the 
boat  should  be  near  enough  to  carry  her  to  the  point  of 
destination  without  further  assistance  from  her  canvass. 

Jack  Tier  took  his  officer's  improvement  on  his  own 
plan  in  perfect  good  part,  readily  and  cheerfully  expressing 
his  willingness  to  aid  the  execution  of  it  all  that  lay  in  his 
power.  As  the  boat  sailed  unusually  well,  there  was  barely 
time  to  explain  to  each  individual  his  or  her  part  in  the  ap 
proaching  critical  movements,  ere  the  crisis  itself  drew 
near;  then  each  of  the  party  became  silent  and  anxious, 
and  events  were  regarded  rather  than  words. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  Mulford  sailed  a  boat 
well.  He  held  the  sheet  in  his  hand,  as  the  little  craft 


OK,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  71 

came  up  under  the  lee-quarter  of  the  brig,  while  Jack  stood 
by  the  brail.  The  eyes  of  the  mate  glanced  over  the  hull 
of  the  vessel  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  who  might  be  stirring; 
but  not  a  sign  of  life  could  he  detect  on  board  her.  This 
very  silence  made  Mulford  more  distrustful  and  anxious, 
for  he  feared  a  trap  was  set  for  him.  He  expected  to  see 
the  head  of  one  of  the  blacks  at  least  peering  over  the  bul 
warks,  but  nothing  like  a  man  was  visible.  It  was  too  late 
to  pause,  however,  and  the  sheet  was  slowly  eased  off,  Jack 
hauling  on  the  brail  at  the  same  time;  the  object  being  to 
prevent  the  sail's  flapping,  and  the  sound  reaching  the  ears 
of  Spike.  As  Mulford  used  great  caution,  and  had  pre 
viously  schooled  Jack  on  the  subject,  this  important  point 
was  successfully  achieved.  Then  the  mate  put  his  helm 
down,  and  the  boat  shot  up  under  the  brig's  lee-bow.  Jack 
was  ready  to  lay  hold  of  one  of  the  bow-sprit  shrouds,  and 
presently  the  boat  was  breasted  up  under  the  desired  port, 
arid  secured  in  that  position.  Mulford  quitted  the  stern- 
sheets,  and  cast  a  look  in  upon  deck.  Nothing  was  to  be 
seen,  though  he  heard  the  heavy  breathing  of  the  blacks, 
both  of  whom  were  sound  asleep  on  a  sail  that  they  had 
spread  on  the  forecastle. 

The  mate  whispered  for  Biddy  to  come  to  the  port.  This 
the  Irishwoman  did  at  once,  having  kissed  Rose,  and 
taken  her  leave  of  her  previously.  Tier  also  came  to  the 
port,  through  which  he  passed,  getting  on  deck  with  a  view 
to  assist  Biddy,  who  was  awkward,  almost  as  a  matter  of 
course,  to  pass  through  the  same  opening.  He  had  just 
succeeded,  when  the  whole  party  was  startled,  some  of  them 
almost  petrified,  indeed,  by  a  hail  from  the  quarter-deck 
in  the  well-known,  deep  tones  of  Spike. 

"  For'ard,  there?"  nailed  the  captain.  Receiving  no 
answer,  he  immediately  repeated,  in  a  shorter,  quicker 
call,  "Forecastle,  there?" 

"  Sir,"  answered  Jack  Tier,  who  by  this  time  had  come 
to  his  senses. 

"Who  has  the  look-out  on  that  forecastle?" 

"  I  have  it,  sir — I,  Jack  Tier.  You  know,  sir,  I  was  to 
have  it  from  two  'till  daylight." 

"  Ay,  ay,  I  remember  now.  How  does  the  brig  ride  to 
her  anchor  ?" 


72  JACK  TIER; 

"  As  steady  as  a  church,  sir.  She's  had  no  more  sheer 
the  whole  watch  than  if  she  was  moored  head  and  starn." 

"  Does  the  wind  stand  as  it  did  f" 

"  No  change,  sir.  As  dead  a  trade  wind  as  ever  blowed." 

"  What  hard  breathing  is  that  I  hear  for'ard?" 

"  'T  is  the  two  niggers,  sir.  They  've  turned  in  on 
deck,  arid  are  napping  it  off  at  the  rate  of  six  knots. 
There 's  no  keepin'  way  with  a  nigger  in  snorin'." 

"  I  thought  I  heard  loud  whispering,  too,  but  I  suppose 
it  was  a  sort  of  half-dream.  I'm  often  in  that  way  now-a- 
days.  Jack !" 

"Sir." 

"  Go  to  the  scuttle-butt  and  get  me  a  pot  of  fresh  water 
— my  coppers  are  hot  with  hard  thinking." 

Jack  did  as  ordered,  and  soon  stood  beneath  the  coach 
house  deck  with  Spike,  who  had  come  out  of  his  state-room, 
heated  and  uneasy  at  he  knew  not  what.  The  captain 
drank  a  full  pint  of  water  at  a  sii:r,le  draught. 

"That's  refreshing,"  he  said,  returning  Jack  the  tin- 
pot,  "  and  I  feel  the  cooler  for  it.  How  much  does  it  want 
of  daylight,  Jack?" 

"  Two  hours,  I  think,  sir.  The  order  was  passed  to  me 
to  have  all  hands  called  as  sor-n  as  it  was  broad  day." 

"  Ay,  that  is  right.  We  must  get  our  anchor  arid  be  off 
as  soon  as  there  is  light  to  do  it  in.  Doubloons  may  melt 
as  well  as  flour,  and  are  best  cared  for  soon  when  cared 
for  at  all." 

"  I  shall  see  and  give  the  call  as  soon  as  it  is  day.  I 
hope,  Captain  Spike,  I  can  take  the  liberty  of  an  old  ship 
mate,  however,  and  say  one  thing  to  you,  which  is  this — 
look  out  for  the  Poughkeepsie,  which  is  very  likely  to  be 
on  your  heels  when  you  least  expect  her." 

"That's  your  way  of  thinking,  is  it,  Jack.  Well,  I 
thank  you,  old  one,  for  the  hint,  but  have  little  fear  of  that 
craft.  We  've  had  our  legs  together,  and  I  think  the  brig 
has  the  longest." 

As  the  captain  said  this,  he  gaped  like  a  hound,  and 
went  into  his  state-room.  Jack  lingered  on  the  quarter 
deck,  waiting  to  hear  him  fairly  in  his  berth,  when  he  made 
a  sign  to  Biddy,  who  had  got  as  far  aft  as  the  galley,  where 
she  was  secreted,  to  pass  down  into  the  cabin,  as  silently 


O  11 ,    Til  S     FLORIDA     REEF.  73 

us  possible.  In  a  minute  or  two  more,  he  moved  forward, 
einging  in  a  low,  cracked  voice,  as  was  often  his  practice, 
and  slowly  made  his  way  to  the  forecastle.  Mulford  was 
just  beginning  to  think  the  fellow  had  changed  his  mind, 
and  meant  to  stick  by  the  brig,  when  the  little,  rotund  fig 
ure  of  the  assistant-steward  was  seen  passing  through  the 
port,  and  to  drop  noiselessly  on  a  thwart.  Jack  then  moved 
to  the  bow,  and  cast  off  the  painter,  the  head  of  the  boat 
slowly  falling  off  under  the  pressure  of  the  breeze  on  that 
part  of  her  mast  and  sail  which  rose  above  the  hull  of  the 
Swash.  Almost  at  the  same  moment,  the  mate  let  go  the 
stern-fast,  and  the  boat  was  free. 

It  required  some  care  to  set  the  sail  without  the  canvas 
flapping.  It  was  done,  however,  before  the  boat  fairly  took 
the  breeze,  when  all  was  safe.  In  half  a  minute  the  wind 
struck  the  sail,  and  away  the  little  craft  started,  passing 
swiftly  ahead  of  the  brig.  Soon  as  far  enough  off,  Mulford 
put  up  his  helm  and  wore  short  round,  bringing  the  boat's 
head  to  the  northward,  or  in  its  proper  direction ;  after 
which  they  flew  along  before  the  wind,  which  seemed  to 
be  increasing  in  force,  with  a  velocity  that  really  appeared 
to  defy  pursuit.  All  this  time  the  brig  lay  in  its  silence 
and  solitude,  no  one  stirring  on  board  her,  and  all,  in  fact, 
Biddy  alone  excepted,  profoundly  ignorant  of  what  had  just 
been  passing  alongside  of  her.  Ten  minutes  of  running 
off  with  a  flowing  sheet,  caused  the  Swash  to  look  indistinct 
and  hazy  again ;  in  ten  minutes  more  she  was  swallowed 
up,  hull,  spars,  and  all,  in  the  gloom  of  night. 

Mulford  and  Rose  now  felt  something  like  that  security, 
without  the  sense  of  which  happiness  itself  is  but  an  un 
easy  feeling,  rendering  the  anticipations  of  evil  the  more 
painful  by  the  magnitude  of  the  stake.  There  they  sat, 
now,  in  the  stern-sheets  by  themselves,  Jack  Tier  having 
placed  himself  near  the  bows  of  the  boat,  to  look  out  for 
rocks,  as  well  as  to  trim  the  craft.  It  was  not  long  before 
Rose  was  leaning  on  Harry's  shoulder,  and  ere  an  hour 
was  past,  she  had  fallen  into  a  sweet  sleep  in-that  attitude, 
the  young  man  having  carefully  covered  her  person  with  a 
capacious  shawl,  the  same  that  had  been  used  on  the  wreck- 
As  for  Jack,  he  maintained  his  post  in  silence,  sitting  with 
his  arms  crossed,  and  the  hands  thrust  into  the  breast  of 

VOL.  II.  —  7 


74  J  A  C  K    T  I  E  R  ; 

his  jacket,  sailor  fashion,  a  picture  of  nautical  vigilance. 
It  was  some  time  after  Rose  had  fallen  asleep,  that  this 
singular  being  spoke  for  the  first  time. 

"  Keep  her  away  a  bit,  maty,"  he  said,  "  keep  her  away, 
half  a  point  or  so.  She's  been  travelin'  like  a  racer  since 
we  left  the  brig ;  and  yonder  's  the  first  streak  of  day." 

"  By  the  time  we  have  been  running,"  observed  Mulford, 
"  I  should  think  we  must  be  getting  near  the  northern  side 
of  the  reef." 

"  All  of  that,  sir,  depend  on  it.  Here 's  a  rock  close 
aboard  on  us,  to  which  we're  comin'  fast — just  off  here, 
on  our  weather-bow,  that  looks  to  me  like  the  place  where 
you  landed  a'ter  that  swim,  and  where  we  had  stowed  our 
selves  when  Stephen  Spike  made  us  out,  and  gave  chase." 

"  It  is  surprising  to  me,  Jack,  that  you  should  have  any 
fancy  to  stick  by  a  man  of  Spike's  character.  He  is  a 
precious  rascal,  as  we  all  can  see,  now,  and  you  are  rather 
an  honest  sort  of  fellow." 

"Do  you  love  the  young  woman  there,  that's  lying  in 
your  arms,  as  it  might  be,  and  whom  you  say  you  wish  to 
marry." 

"  The  question  is  a  queer  one,  but  it  is  easily  answered. 
More  than  my  life,  Jack." 

"  Well,  how  happens  it  that  you  succeed,  when  the  world 
has  so  many  other  young  men  who  might  please  her  as 
well  as  yourself." 

"  It  may  be  that  no  other  loves  her  as  well,  and  she  has 
had  the  sagacity  to  discover  it." 

"Quite  likely.  So  it  is  with  me  and  Stephen  Spike.  I 
fancy  a  man  whom  other  folk  despise  and  condemn.  Why 
I  stand  by  him  is  my  own  secret ;  but  stand  by  him  I  do 
and  will." 

"  This  is  all  very  strange,  after  your  conduct  on  the 
inland,  and  your  conduct  to-night.  I  shall  not  disturb  your 
secret,  however,  Jack,  but  leave  you  to  enjoy  it  by  your 
self.  Is  this  the  rock  of  which  you  spoke,  that  we  are  now 
passing?" 

"The  same;  and  there's  the  spot  in  which  we  was 
stowed  when  they  made  us  out  from  the  brig;  and  here 
away,  a  cable's  length,  more  or  less,  the  wreck  of  that 
Mexican  craft  must  lie." 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  7i? 

"  What  is  that  rising  above  the  water,  thereaway,  Jack  ; 
more  on  our  weather-beam?" 

"I  see  what  you  mean,  sir;  it  looks  like  a  spar.  By 
George!  there's  two  on  'em;  and  they  do  seem  to  be  the 
schooner's  masts." 

Sure  enough !  a  second  look  satisfied  Mulford  that  two 
mast-heads  were  out  of  water,  and  that  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  place  the  boat  was  running  past.  Standing 
on  a  short  distance,  or  far  enough  to  give  himself  room, 
the  mate  put  his  helm  down,  and  tacked  the  boat.  The 
flapping  of  the  sail,  and  the  little  movement  of  shifting  over 
the  sheet,  awoke  Rose,  who  was  immediately  apprized  of 
the  discovery.  As  soon  as  round,  the  boat  went  glancing 
up  to  the  spars,  and  presently  was  riding  by  one,  Jack  Tier 
having  caught  hold  of  a  topmast-shroud,  when  Mulford  let 
fly  his  sheet  again,  and  luffed  short  up  to  the  spot.  By 
this  time  the  increasing  light  was  sufficiently  strong  to  ren 
der  objects  distinct,  when  near  by,  and  no  doubt  remained 
any  longer  in  the  mind  of  Mulford  about  the  two  mast 
heads  being  those  of  the  unfortunate  Mexican  schooner. 

"  Well,  of  all  I  have  ever  seen  I've  never  see'd  the  like 
of  this  afore!"  exclaimed  Jack.  "  When  we  left  this  here 
craft,  sir,  you'll  remember,  she  had  almost  turned  turtle, 
laying  over  so  far  as  to  bring  her  upper  coamings  under 
water  ;  now  she  stands  right  side  up,  as  erect  as  if  docked  ! 
My  navigation  can't  get  along  with  this,  Mr.  Mulford,  and 
it  does  seem  like  witchcraft." 

"  It  is  certainly  a  very  singular  incident,  Jack,  and  I  have 
been  trying  to  come  at  its  causes." 

"Have  you  succeeded,  Harry?"  asked  Rose,  by  this 
time  wide  awake,  and  wondering  like  the  others. 

"It  must  have  happened  in  this  wise.  The  wreck  was 
abandoned  by  us  some  little  distance  out  here,  to  windward. 
The  schooner's  masts,  of  course,  pointed  to  leeward,  and 
when  she  drifted  in  here,  they  have  first  touched  on  a 
shelving  rock,  and  as  they  have  been  shoved  up,  little  by 
little,  they  have  acted  as  levers  to  right  the  hull,  until  the 
cargo  has  shifted  back  into  its  proper  berth,  which  has 
suddenly  set  the  vessel  up  again." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  answered  Jack,  "  all  that  might  have  hap 
pened  had  she  been  above  water,  or  any  part  of  her  above 


75  JACKTIER; 

water ;  but  you  '11  remember,  maty,  that  soon  after  we  left 
her  she  went  down." 

"  Not  entirely.  The  wreck  settled  in  the  water  no  faster 
after  we  had  left  it,  than  it  had  clone  before.  It  continued 
to  sink,  inch  by  inch,  as  the  air  escaped,  and  no  faster 
after  it  had  gone  entirely  out  of  sight  than  before ;  not  as 
fast,  indeed,  as  the  water  became  denser  the  lower  it  got. 
The  great  argument  against  my  theory,  is  the  fact,  that 
after  the  hull  got  beneath  the  surface,  the  wind  could  not 
act  on  it.  This  is  true  in  one  sense,  however,  arid  not  in 
another.  The  waves,  or  the  pressure  of  the  water  produced 
by  the  wind,  might  act  on  the  hull  for  some  time  after  we 
ceased  to  see  it.  But  the  currents  have  set  the  craft  in 
here,  and  the  hull  floating  always,  very  little  force  would 
cant  the  craft.  If  the  rock  were  shelving  and  slippery,  I 
see  no  great  difficulty  in  the  way ;  and  the  barrels  may 
have  been  so  lodged,  that  a  trifle  would  set  them  rolling 
back  again,  each  one  helping  to  produce  a  change  that 
would  move  another.  As  for  the  ballast,  that,  i  am  certain, 
could  not  shift,  for  it  was  stowed  with  great  care.  As  the 
vessel  righted,  the  air  still  in  her  moved,  and  as  soon  as 
the  water  permitted,  it  escaped  by  the  hatches,  when  the 
craft  went  down,  as  a  matter  of  course.  This  air  may 
have  aided  in  bringing  the  hulJ  upright  by  its  movements 
in  the  water." 

This  was  the  only  explanation  to  which  the  ingenuity 
of  Mulford  could  help  him,  under  the  circumstances,  and 
it  may  have  been  the  right  one,  or  not.  There  lay  the 
schooner,  however,  in  some  five  or  six  fathoms  of  water, 
with  her  two  topmasts,  and  lower  mast-heads  out  of  the 
element,  as  upright  as  if  docked  !  It  may  all  have  occur 
red  as  the  mate  fancied,  or  the  unusual  incident  may  have 
been  owing  to  some  of  the  many  mysterious  causes  which 
baffle  inquiry,  when  the  agents  are  necessarily  hidden  from 
examination. 

"  Spike  intends  to  come  and  look  for  this  wreck,  you 
tell  rne,  Jack;  in  the  hope  of  getting  at  the  doubloons  it 
contains?"  said  Mulford,  when  the  boat  had  lain  a  minute 
or  two  longer,  riding  by  the  mast-head. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir;  that's  his  notion,  sir,  and  he'll  be  in  a 
great  stew,  as  soon  as  he  turns  out,  which  must  be  about 


OR,    TH  E    FLORID  A    REEF.  77 

this  time,  and  finds  me  missing;  for  I  was  to  pilot  him  to 
the  spot." 

"He'll  want  no  pilot  now.  It  will  be  scarcely  possible 
to  pass  anywhere  near  this  and  not  see  these  spars.  But 
this  discovery  almost  induces  me  to  change  my  own  plans. 
What  say  you,  Rose?  We  have  now  reached  the  northern 
side  of  the  reef,  when  it  is  time  to  haul  close  by  the  wind, 
if  we  wish  to  beat  up  to  Key  West.  There  is  a  moral  cer 
tainty,  however,  that  the  s!oop-of-war  is  somewhere  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Dry  Tortugas,  which  are  much  the 
most  easily  reached,  being  to  leeward.  We  might  run 
down  to  the  light-house  by  mid-day,  while  it  is  doubtful  if 
we  could  reach  the  town  until  to-morrow  morning.  I 
should  like  exceedingly  to  have  five  minutes  conversation 
with  the  commander  of  the  Poughkeepsie." 

"  Ay,  to  let  him  know  where  he  will  be  likely  to  fall  in 
with  the  Molly  Swash  and  her  traitor  master,  Stephen 
Spike,"  cried  Jack  Tier.  "Never  mind,  maty;  let  }em 
come  on ;  both  the  Molly  and  her  master  have  got  long 
legs  and  clean  heels.  Stephen  Spike  will  show  'em  how 
to  thread  the  channels  of  a  reef." 

"  It  is  amazing  to  me,  Jack,  that  you  should  stand  by 
your  old  captain  in  feeling,  while  you  are  helping  to  thwart 
him,  all  you  can,  in  his  warmest  wishes." 

"  He's  a  wiilian  !"  muttered  Jack — "  a  reg'lar  willian  is 
Stephen  Spike!" 

"  If  a  villain,  why  do  you  so  evidently  wish  to  keep  him 
out  of  the  hands  of  the  law  ?  Let  him  be  captured  and  pun 
ished,  as  his  crimes  require." 

"Men's  willians,  all  round,"  still  muttered  Jack. 
"  Hark 'e,  Mr.  Mulford,  I've  sailed  in  the  brig  longer  than 
you,  arid  know'd  her  in  hc.r  comeliest  and  best  days — when 
she  was  young,  and  blooming,  and  lovely  to  the  eye,  as  the 
young  creature  at  your  side — and  it  would  go  to  my  heart 
to  have  anything  happen  to  her.  Then,  1 5ve  know'd  Ste 
phen  a  long  time,  too,  and  old  shipmates  get  a  feelin'  for 
each  other,  sooner  or  later.  I  tell  you  now,  honestly,  Mr. 
Mulford,  Captain  Adam  Mull  shall  never  make  a  prisoner 
of  Stephen  Spike,  if  I  can  prevent  it." 

The  mate  laughed  at  this  sally,  but  Rose  appeared 
anxious  to  change  the  conversation,  and  she  managed  to 
7  * 


78  JACK   TIER; 

open  a  discussion  on  the  subject  of  the  course  it  might  be 
best  to  steer.  Muhrord  had  several  excellent  reasons  to  urge 
for  wishing  to  run  down  to  the  islets,  all  of  which,  with  a 
single  exception,  he  laid  before  his  betrothed.  The  con 
cealed  reason  was  one  of  the  strongest  of  them  all,  as  usu 
ally  happens  when  there  is  a  reason  to  conceal,  but  of  that 
he  took  care  to  say  nothing.  The  result  was  an  acquies 
cence  on  the  part  of  Rose,  whose  consent  was  yielded 
more  to  the  influence  of  one  particular  consideration  than 
to  all  the  rest  united.  That  one  was  this  :  Harry  had 
pointed  out  to  her  the  importance  to  himself  of  his  appear 
ing  early  to  denounce  the  character  and  movements  of  the 
brig,  lest,  through  his  former  situation  in  her,  his  own  con 
duct  might  be  seriously  called  in  question. 

As  soon  as  the  matter  was  determined,  Jack  was  told  to 
let  go  his  hold,  the  sheet  was  drawn  aft,  and  away  sped  the 
boat.  No  sooner  did  Mul ford  cause  the  little  craft  to  keep 
away  than  it  almost  flew,  as  if  conscious  it  were  bound  to 
its  proper  home,  skimming  swiftly  over  the  waves,  like  a 
bird  returning  eagerly  to  its  nest.  An  hour  later  the  party 
breakfasted.  While  at  this  meal,  Jack  Tier  pointed  out 
to  the  mate  a  white  speck,  in  the  south-eastern  board,  which 
he  took  to  be  the  brig  coming  through  the  passage,  on  her 
way  to  the  wreck. 

"  No  matter,"  returned  the  mate.  "  Though  we  can  see 
her,  she  cannot  see  us.  There  is  that  much  advantage  in 
our  being  small,  Rose,  if  it  do  prevent  our  taking  exercise 
by  walking  the  deck." 

Soon  after,  Mulford  made  a  very  distant  sail  in  the  north 
western  board,  which  he  hoped  might  turn  out  to  be  the 
Poughkeepsie.  It  was  but  another  speck,  but  its  position 
was  somewhat  like  that  in  which  he  had  expected  to  meet 
the  sloop-of-war.  The  two  vessels  were  so  far  apart  that 
one  could  not  be  seen  from  the  other,  and  there  was  little 
hope  that  the  Poughkeepsie  would  detect  Spike  at  his  toil 
on  the  wreck ;  but  the  mate  fully  expected  that  the  ship 
would  go  into  the  anchorage,  among  the  islets,  in  order  to 
ascertain  what  had  become  of  the  schooner.  If  she  did  not 
go  in  herself,  she  would  be  almost  certain  to  send  in  a 
boat. 

The  party  from  the  brigaritine  had  run  down  before  the 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  79 

wind  more  than  two  hours  before  the  light-house  began  to 
show  itself,  just  rising  out  of  the  waves.  This  gave  them 
the  advantage  ef  a  beacon,  Mulford  having  steered  hitherto 
altogether  by  the  sun,  the  direction  of  the  wind,  and  the 
trending  of  the  reef.  Now  he  had  his  port  in  sight,  it  be 
ing  his  intention  to  take  possession  of  the  dwelling  of  the 
light-house  keeper,  and  to  remain  in  it,  until  a  favourable 
opportunity  occurred  to  remove  Rose  to  Key  West.  The 
young  man  had  also  another  important  project  in  view, 
which  it  will  be  in  season  to  mention  as  it  reaches  the  mo 
ment  of  its  fulfilment. 

The  rate  of  sailing  of  the  light-house  boat,  running  be 
fore  a  brisk  trade  wind,  could  not  be  much  less  than  nine 
miles  in  the  hour.  About  eleven  o'clock,  therefore,  the 
lively  craft  shot  through  one  of  the  narrow  channels  of  the 
islets,  and  entered  the  haven.  In  a  few  minutes  all  three 
of  the  adventurers  were  on  the  little  wharf  where  the  light 
house  people  were  in  the  habit  of  landing.  Rose  proceeded 
to  the  house,  while  Harry  and  Jack  remained  to  secure  the 
boat.  For  the  latter  purpose  a  sort  of  slip,  or  little  dock, 
had  been  made,  and  when  the  boat  was  hauled  into  it,  it 
lay  so  snug  that  not  only  was  the  craft  secure  from  injury, 
but  it  was  actually  hid  from  the  view  of  all  but  those  who 
stood  directly  above  it. 

"  This  is  a  snug  berth  for  the  boat,  Jack,"  observed  the 
mate,  when  he  had  hauled  it  into  the  place  mentioned, 
"  and  by  unstepping  the  mast,  a  passer-by  would  not  sus 
pect  such  a  craft  of  lying  in  it.  Who  knows  what  occa 
sion  there  may  be  for  concealment,  and  I  '11  e'en  do  that 
thing." 

To  a  casual  listener,  Harry,  in  unstepping  the  mast, 
might  have  seemed  influenced  merely  by  a  motiveless  im 
pulse ;  but,  in  truth,  a.  latent  suspicion  of  Jack's  intentions 
instigated  him,  and  as  he  laid  the  mast,  sprit  and  sail  on 
the  thwarts,  he  determined,  in  his  own  mind,  to  remove 
them  all  to  some  other  place,  as  soon  as  an  opportunity  for 
doing  so  unobserved  should  occur.  He  and  Jack  now  fol 
lowed  Rose  to  the  house. 

The  islets  were  found  deserted  and  tenantless.  Not  a 
human  being  had  entered  the  house  since  Rose  left  it,  the 
evening  she  had  remained  so  long  ashore,  in  company  with 


80  JACK   TIER; 

her  aunt  and  the  Senor  Montefalderon.  This  our  heroine 
knew  from  the  circumstance  of  finding  a  slight  fastening 
of  the  outer  door  in  the  precise  situation  in  which  she  had 
left  it  with  her  own  hands.  At  first  a  feeling  of  oppression 
and  awe  prevailed  with  both  Harry  and  Rose,  when  they 
recollected  the  fate  of  those  who  had  so  lately  been  tenants 
of  the  place ;  but  this  gradually  wore  off,  and  each  soon  got 
to  be  more  at  home.  As  for  Jack,  he  very  coolly  rum 
maged  the  lockers,  as  he  called  the  drawers  and  closets  of 
the  place,  and  made  his  preparations  for  cooking  a  very  de 
licious  repast,  in  which  calHpash  and  callipee  were  to  be 
material  ingredients.  The  necessary  condiments  were 
easily  enough  found  in  that  place,  turtle  being  a  common 
dish  there,  and  it  was  not  long  before  steams  that  might 
have  quickened  the  appetite  of  an  alderman  filled  the 
kitchen.  Hose  rummaged,  too,  and  found  a  clean  table 
cloth,  plates,  glasses,  bowls,  spoons,  and  knives;  in  a 
word,  all  that  was  necessary  to  spread  a  plain  but  plentiful 
board.  While  all  this  was  doing,  Harry  took  some  fishing- 
tackle,  and  proceeded  to  a  favourable  spot  among  the  rocks. 
In  twenty  minutes  he  returned  with  a  fine  mess  of  that 
most  delicious  little  fish  that  goes  by  the  very  unpoetical 
name  of"  hog-fish,"  from  the  circumstance  of  its  giving  a 
grunt  not  unlike  that  of  a  living  porker,  when  rudely  drawn 
from  its  proper  element.  Nothing  was  now  wanting  to 
not  only  a  comfortable,  but  to  what  was  really  a  most  epi- 
curian  meal,  and  Jack  just  begged  the  lovers  to  have  pa 
tience  for  an  hour  or  so,  when  he  promised  them  dishes 
that  even  New  York  could  not  furnish. 

Harry  and  Rose  first  retired  to  pay  a  little  attention  to 
their  dress,  and  then  they  joined  each  other  in  a  walk. 
The  mate  had  found  some  razors,  and  was  clean  shaved. 
He  had  also  sequestered  a  shirt,  and  made  some  other  little 
additions  to  his  attire,  that  contributed  to  give  hirn  the  ap 
pearance  of  being,  that  which  he  really  was,  a  very  gentle 
man-like  looking  young  sailor.  Rose  had  felt  no  necessity 
for  taking  liberties  with  the  effects  of  others,  though  a  good 
deal  of  female  attire  was  found  in  the  dwelling.  As  was 
afterward  ascertained,  a  family  ordinarily  dwelt  there,  but 
most  of  it  had  gone  to  Key  West,  on  a  visit,  at  the  moment 
when  the  man  and  boy  left  in  charge  had  fallen  into  the 


OR,  THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  81 

hands  of  the  Mexicans,  losing  their  lives  in  the  manner 
mentioned. 

While  walking  together,  Harry  opened  his  mind  to  Rose, 
on  the  subject  which  lay  nearest  to  his  heart,  and  which 
had  been  at  the  bottom  of  this  second  visit  to  the  islets  of 
the  Dry  Tortugas.  Daring  the  different  visits  of  Wallace 
to  the  brig,  the  boat's  crew  of  the  Poughkeepsie  had  held 
more  or  less  discourse  with  the  people  of  the  Swash.  This 
usually  happens  on  such  occasions,  and  although  Spike  had 
endeavoured  to  prevent  it,  when  his  brig  lay  in  this  bay, 
lie  had  not  been  entirely  successful.  Such  discourse  is 
commonly  jocular,  and  sometimes  witty ;  every  speech, 
coming  from  which  side  it  may,  ordinarily  commencing 
with  "  shipmate,"  though  the  interlocutors  never  saw  each 
other  before  that  interview.  In  one  of  the  visits  an  allu 
sion  was  made  to  cargo,  when  "  the  pretty  gal  aft,"  was  men 
tioned  as  being  a  part  of  the  cargo  of  the  Swash.  In  answer 
to  this  remark,  the  wit  of  the  Poughkeepsie  had  told  the 
brig's  man,  "  you  had  better  send  her  on  board  us,  for  we 
carry  a  chaplain,  a  regular-built  one,  that  will  be  a  bishop 
some  day  or  other, perhaps,  and  we  can  get  her  spliced  to 
one  of  our  young  officers."  This  remark  had  induced  the 
sailor  of  the  Molly  to  ask  if  a  sloop-of-war  really  carried 
such  a  piece  of  marine  luxury  as  a  chaplain,  and  the  expla 
nation  given  went  to  say  that  the  clergyman  in  question 
did  not  properly  belong  to  the  Poughkeepsie,  but  was  to  be 
put  on  board  a  frigate,  as  soon  as  they  fell  in  with  one  that 
he  named.  Now,  all  this  Mulford  overheard,  and  he  re 
membered  it  at  a  moment  when  it  might  be  of  use.  Situ 
ated  as  he  and  Rose  were,  he  felt  the  wisdom  and  propriety 
of  their  being  united,  arid  his  present  object  was  to  per 
suade  his  companion  to  be  of  the  same  way  of  thinking. 
He  doubted  not  that  the  sloop-of-war  would  come  in,  ere 
long,  perhaps  that  very  day,  and  he  believed  it  would  be  an 
easy  matter  to  induce  her  chaplain  to  perform  the  cere 
mony.  America  is  a  country  in  which  every  facility  exists, 
with  the  fewest  possible  impediments,  to  getting  married; 
and,  we  regret  to  be  compelled  to  add,  to  getting  unmar 
ried  also.  There  are  no  banns,  no  licenses,  no  consent  of 
parents  even,  usually  necessary,  and  persons  who  are  of 
the  age  of  discretion,  which,  as  respects  females  and  matri- 


82  JACK   TIER; 

mony,  is  a  very  tender  age  indeed,  may  be  married,  if  they 
see  fit,  almost  without  form  or  ceremony.  There  existed, 
therefore,  no  legal  impediment  to  the  course  Mulford  de 
sired  to  take;  and  his  principal,  if  not  his  only  difficulty, 
would  be  with  Rose.  Over  her  scruples  he  hoped  to  pre 
vail,  and  not  without  reason,  as  the  case  he  could  and  did 
present,  was  certainly  one  of  a  character  that  entitled  him 
to  be  heard  with  great  attention. 

In  the  first  place,  Mrs.  Budd  had  approved  of  the  con 
nection,  and  it  was  understood  between  them,  that  the 
young  people  were  to  be  united  at  the  first  port  in  which  a 
clergy mae  of  their  own  persuasion  could  be  found,  and 
previously  to  reaching  home.  This  had  been  the  aunt's 
own  project,  for,  weak  and  silly  as  she  was,  the  relict  had 
a  woman's  sense  of  the  proprieties.  It  had  occured  to  her 
that  it  would  be  more  respectable  to  make  the  loner  journey 
which  lay  before  them,  escorted  by  a  nephew  and  husband, 
than  escorted  by  even  an  accepted  lover.  It  is  true  that 
she  had  never  anticipated  a  marriage  in  a  light-house,  and 
under  the  circumstances  in  which  Rose  was  now  placed, 
though  it  might  be  more  reputable  that  her  niece  should 
quit  the  islets  as  the  wife  of  Harry  than  as  his  betrothed. 
Then  Mulford  still  apprehended  Spike.  In  that  remote 
part  of  the  world,  almost  beyond  the  confines  of  society,  it 
was  not  easy  to  foretell  what  claims  he  might  set  up,  in  the 
event  of  his  meeting  them  there.  Armed  with  the  author 
ity  of  a  husband,  Mulford  could  resist  him,  in  any  such 
case,  with  far  better  prospects  of  success  than  if  he  should 
appear  only  in  the  character  of  a  suitor. 

Rose  listened  to  these  arguments,  ardently  and  some 
what  eloquently  put,  as  a  girl  of  her  years  and  habits  would 
be  apt  to  listen  to  a  favoured  lover.  She  was  much  too 
sincere  to  deny  her  own  attachment,  which  the  events  of 
the  last  few  days  had  increased  almost  to  intenseness,  so 
apt  is  our  tenderness  to  augment  in  behalf  of  those  for 
whom  we  feel  solicitude;  and  her  judgment  told  her  that 
the  more  sober  part  of  Harry's  reasoning  was  entitled  to 
consideration.  As  his  wife,  her  situation  would  certainly 
be  muck  less  equivocal  and  awkward,  than  while  she  bore 
a  different  name,  and  was  admitted  to  be  a  single  woman, 
and  it  might  yet  be  weeks  before  the  duly  she  owed  her 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  83 

aunt  would  allow  her  to  proceed  to  the  north.  But,  after 
all,  Harry  prevailed  more  through  the  influence  of  his  hold 
on  Rose's  affections,  as  would  have  been  the  case  with  al 
most  every  other  woman,  than  through  any  force  of  reason 
ing.  He  truly  loved,  and  that  made  him  eloquent  when 
he  spoke  of  love;  sympathy  in  all  he  uttered  being  his 
great  ally.  When  summoned  to  the  house,  by  the  call  of 
Jack,  who  announced  that  the  turtle-soup  was  ready,  they 
returned  with  the  understanding  that  the  chaplain  of  the 
Poughkeepsie  should  unite  them,  di<l  the  vessel  come  in, 
and  would  the  functionary  mentioned  consent  to  perform 
the  ceremony. 

"  It  would  be  awkward — nay,  it  would  be  distressing, 
Harry,  to  have  him  refuse,"  said  the  blushing  Rose,  as  they 
walked  slowly  back  to  the  house,  more  desirous  to  prolong 
their  conversation  than  to  partake  of  the  bountiful  provision 
of  Jack  Tier.  The  latter  could  not  but  be  acceptable, 
nevertheless,  to  a  young  man  like  Mulford,  who  was  in 
robust  health,  and  who  had  fared  so  badly  for  the  last  eight- 
and-forty  hours.  When  he  sat  down  to  the  table,  there 
fore,  which  was  covered  by  a  snow-white  cloth,  with  smok 
ing  and  most  savoury  viands  on  it,  it  will  not  be  surprising 
if  we  say  it  was  with  a  pleasure  that  was  derived  from  one 
of  the  great  necessities  of  our  nature. 

Sancho  calls  for  benediction  "  on  the  man  who  invented 
sleep."  It  would  have  been  more  just  to  have  asked  this 
boon  in  behalf  of  him  who  invented  eating  and  turtle-soup. 
The  wearied  fall  into  sleep,  as  it  might  be  unwittingly; 
sometimes  against  their  will,  and  often  against  their  inte 
rests;  while  many  a  man  is  hungry  without  possessing  the 
means  of  appeasing  his  appetite.  Still  more  daily  feel 
hunger  without  possessing  turtle-soup.  Certain  persons 
impute  this  delicious  compound  to  the  genius  of  some  Lon» 
don  alderman,  but  we  rather  think  unjustly.  Aldermanic 
genius  is  easily  excited  and  rendered  active,  no  doubt,  by 
strong  appeals  on  such  a  theme,  but  our  own  experience 
inclines  us  to  believe  that  the  tropics  usually  send  their  in 
ventions  to  the  less  fruitful  regions  of  the  earth  along 
with  their  products.  We  have  little  doubt,  could  the  fact 
be  now  ascertained,  that  it  would  be  found  turtle-soup  was 
originally  invented  by  just  some  such  worthy  as  Jack  Tier, 


84  JACK-TIER; 

who  ia  filling  his  coppers  to  tickle  the  captain's  appetite, 
had  used  all  the  condiments  within  his  reach;  ventured  on 
a  sort  of  Regent's  punch ;  and,  as  the  consequence,  had 
brought  forth  the  dish  so  often  eulogized,  and  so  well  be 
loved.  It.  is  a  little  extraordinary  that  in  Paris,  the  seat  of 
gastronomy,  one  rarely,  if  ever,  hears  of  or  sees  this  g"ish ; 
while  in  London  it  is  to  be  met  in  almost  as  great  abun 
dance  as  in  one  of  our  larger  commercial  towns.  But  so 
it  is,  and  we  cannot  say  we  much  envy  a  cuisine  its  pates, 
and  soufflets,  and  its  a  la  this  and  a  la  thats,  but  which 
was  never  redolent  with  the  odours  of  turtle-soup. 

"  Upon  my  word,  Jack,  you  have  made  out  famously 
with  your  dinner,  or  supper,  whichever  you  may  please 
to  call  it,"  cried  Mulford  gaily,  as  he  took  his  seat  at  ta 
ble,  after  having  furnished  Rose  with  a  chair.  "  Nothing 
appears  to  be  wanting  ;  but  here  is  good  pilot  bread,  pota 
toes  even,  and  other  little  niceties,  in  addition  to  the  turtle 
and  the  fish.  These  good  people  of  the  light  seem  to  have 
lived  comfortably,  at  any  rate." 

"  Why  should  they  not,  maty?"  answered  Jack,  begin 
ning  to  help  to  soup.  "  Living  on  one  of  these  islets  is 
like  living  afloat.  Everything  is  laid  in,  as  for  an  outward 
bound  craft ;  then  the  reef  must  always  furnish  fish  and 
turtle.  I  've  overhauled  the  lockers  pretty  thoroughly,  and 
find  a  plenty  of  stores  to  last  MS  a  month.  Tea,  sugar, 
coffee,  bread,  pickles,  potatoes,  onions,  and  all  other  knick- 
knacks." 

"  The  poor  people  who  own  these  stores  will  be  heavy- 
hearted  enough  when  they  come  to  learn  the  reason  why 
we  have  been  put  in  undisturbed  possession  of  their  pro 
perty,"  said  Rose.  "  We  must  contrive  some  means  of 
repaying  them  for  such  articles  as  we  may  use,  Harry." 

"That's  easily  enough  done,  Miss  Rose.  Drop  one  of 
the  half-eagles  in  a  tea-pot,  or  a  mug,  and  they  '11  be  cer 
tain  to  fall  in  with  it  when  they  come  back.  Nothin'  is 
easier  than  to  pay  a  body's  debts,  when  a  body  has  the  will 
and  the  means.  Now,  the  worst  enemy  of  Stephen  Spike 
must  own  that  his  brig  never  quits  port  with  unsettled  bills. 
Stephen  has  his  faults,  like  other  mortals;  but  he  has  his 
good  p'ints,  too." 

"  Still  praising  Spike,  my  good  Jack,"  cried  the  mate, 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  85 

a  little  provoked  at  this  pertinacity  in  the  deputy-steward, 
in  sticking  to  his  ship  and  his  shipmate.  "  I  should  have 
thought  that  you  had  sailed  with  him  long  enough  to  have 
found  him  out,  and  to  wish  never  to  put  your  foot  in  his 
cabin  again." 

"  Why,  no,  maty,  a  craft  is  a  craft,  and  a  body  gets  to 
like  even  the  faults  of  one  in  which  a  body  has  gone  through 
gales,  and  squalls,  with  a  whole  skin.  I  like  the  Swash, 
and,  for  sartain  things  I  like  her  captain.'5 

"  Meaning  by  that,  it  is  your  intention  to  get  on  board 
of  the  one,  and  to  sail  with  the  other,  again,  as  soon  as  you 
can." 

"I  do,  Mr.  Mulford,  and  make  no  bones  in  telling  on't. 
You  know  that  I  came  here  without  wishing  it." 

"  Well,  Jack,  no  one  will  attempt  to  control  your  move 
ments,  but  you  shall  be  left  your  own  master.  I  feel  it  to 
be  a  duty,  however,  as  one  who  may  know  more  of  the  law 
than  yourself,  as  well  as  more  of  Stephen  Spike,  to  tell  you 
that  lie  is  engaged  in  a  treasonable  commerce  with  the  en 
emy,  and  that  he,  and  all  who  voluntarily  remain  with  him, 
knowing  this  fact,  may  be  made  to  swing  for  it." 

"  Then  I'll  swing  for  it,"  returned  Jack,  sullenly. 

"  There  is  a  little  obstinacy  in  this,  my  good  fellow,  and 
you  must  be  reasoned  out  of  it.  I  am  under  infinite  obli 
gations  to  you,  Jack,  and  shall  ever  be  ready  to  own  them. 
Without  you  to  sail  the  boat,  I  might  have  been  left  to 
perish  on  that  rock, — for  God  only  knows  whether  any 
vessel  would  have  seen  me  in  passing.  Most  of  those  who 
go  through  that  passage  keep  the  western  side  of  the  reef 
aboard,  they  tell  me,  on  account  of  there  being  better 
water  on  that  side  of  the  channel,  and  the  chance  of  a 
man's  being  seen  on  a  rock,  by  ships  a  league  or  two  off, 
would  be  small  indeed.  Yes,  Jack,  I  owe  my  life  to  yoUj, 
and  am  proud  to  own  it." 

"  You  owe  it  to  Miss  Rose,  maty,  who  put  me  up  to  the 
enterprise,  and  who  shared  it  with  me." 

"To  her  I  owe  more  than  life,"  nnswered  Harry,  look 
ing  at  his  beloved  as  she  delighted  in  being  regarded  by 
him,  "  but  even  she,  with  all  her  wishes  to  serve  me.  would 
have  been  helpless  without  your  skill  in  managing  a  boat- 
I  owe  also  to  your  good-nature  the  happiness  of  having 
VOL.  II.  —  8 


86  JACK  TIER; 

Rose  with  me  at  this  moment ;  for  without  you  she  would 
not  have  come." 

"I'll  not  deny  it,  maty — tnke  another  ladle-full  of  the 
soup,  Miss  Rosy  :  a  quart  of  it  would  n't  hurt  an  infant — 
I  '11  not  deny  it,  Mr.  Mulford — I  know  by  the  way  you've 
got  rid  of  the  first  bowl-full  that  you  are  ready  for  another, 
and  there  it  is — I'll  not  deny  it,  and  all  I  can  say  is  that 
you  are  heartily  welcome  to  my  sarvices." 

"  I  thank  you,  Jack;  but  all  this  only  makes  me  more 
desirous  of  being  of  use  to  you,  now,  when  it's  in  my 
power.  I  wish  you  to  stick  by  me,  and  not  to  return  to 
the  Swash.  As  soon  as  I  get  to  New  York  I  shall  build 
or  buy  a  ship,  and  the  berth  of  steward  in  her  shall  always 
be  open  to  you." 

"  Thank  'e,  maty  ;  thank  'e,  with  all  my  heart.  It 's 
something  to  know  that  a  port  is  open  to  leeward,  and, 
Ihough  I  cannot  now  accept  your  offer,  the  day  may  come 
when  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  so." 

"  If  you  like  living  ashore  better,  our  house  will  always 
be  ready  to  receive  you.  I  should  be  glad  to  leave  as 
handy  a  little  fellow  as  yourself  behind  me  whenever  I  went 
to  sea.  There  are  a  hundred  things  in  which  you  might 
be  useful,  and  fully  earn  your  biscuit,  so  as  to  have  no 
qualms  about  eating  the  bread  of  idleness." 

•'  Thank  'e,  thank 'e,  maty,"  cried  Jack,  dashing  a  tear 
out  of  his  eye  with  the  back  of  his  hand,  "  thank  'e,  sir, 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  The  time  may  come,  but 
not  now.  My  papers  is  signed  for  this  v'y'ge.  Stephen 
Spike  has  a  halter  round  his  neck,  as  you  say  yourself,  and 
it's  necessary  for  me  to  be  there  to  look  to't.  We  all 
have  our  callin's  and  duties,  and  this  is  mine.  I  stick  by 
the  Molly  and  her  captain  until  both  are  out  of  this  scrape, 
or  both  are  condemned.  I  know  nothin'  of  treason;  but 
if  the  law  wants  another  victim,  I  must  take  my  chance." 

Mulford  was  surprised  at  this  steadiness  of  Jack's,  in 
wha*  he  thought  a  very  bad  cause,  and  he  was  quite  as 
much  surprised  that  Rose  did  not  join  him,  in  his  endea 
vours  to  persuade  the  steward  not  to  be  so  foolhardy,  as  to 
endeavour  to  go  back  to  the  brig.  Rose  did  not,  however ; 
sitting  silently  eating  her  dinner  the  whole  time,  though 
she  occasionally  cast  glances  of  interest  at  both  the  speak- 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  87 

ers  the  while.  In  this  state  of  things  the  mate  abandoned 
the  attempt,  for  the  moment,  intending  to  return  to  the 
subject,  after  having  had  a  private  conference  with  his  be 
trothed. 

Notwithstanding  the  little  drawback  just  related,  that 
was  a  happy  as  well  as  a  delicious  repast.  The  mate  did 
full  justice  to  the  soup,  and  afterward  to  the  fish  with  the 
unpoetical  name;  and  Rose  ate  more  than  she  had  done  in 
the  last  three  days.  The  habits  of  discipline  prevented 
Jack  from  taking  his  seat  at  table,  though  pressed  by  both 
Rose  and  Harry  to  do  so,  but  he  helped  himself  to  the  con 
tents  of  a  bowl,  and  did  full  justice  to  his  own  art,  on  one 
aside.  The  little  fellow  was  delighted  with  the  praises 
that  were  bestowed  on  his  dishes;  and  for  the  moment,  the 
sea,  its  dangers,  its  tornadoes,  wrecks  and  races,  were  all 
forgotten  in  the  security  and  pleasures  of  so  savoury  a 
repast. 

"  Folk  ashore  don't  know  how  sailors  sometimes  live," 
said  Jack,  holding  a  large  spoon  filled  with  the  soup  ready 
to  plunge  into  a  tolerably  capacious  mouth. 

"  Or  how  they  sometimes  starve,"1  answered  Rose.  "Re 
member  our  own  situation,  less  than  forty-eight  hours 
since !" 

"  All  very  true,  Miss  Rose ;  yet,  you  see,  turtle-soup 
brings  us  up,  a'ter  all.  Would  you  like  a  glass  of  wine, 
maty?" 

"  Very  much  indeed.  Jack,  after  so  luscious  a  soup;  but 
wishing  for  it  will  not  bring  it  here." 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen,  sir.  I  call  this  a  bottle  of 
something  that  looks  wery  much  like  a  wine." 

"  Claret,  as  I  live !  Why,  where  should  light-house 
keepers  get  the  taste  for  claret?" 

"I've  thought  of  that  myself,  Mr.  Mulford,  and  have 
supposed  that  some  of  Uncle  Sam's  officers  have  brought 
the  liquor  to  this  part  of  the  world.  I  understand  a  party 
on  'ern  was  here  surveyin'  all  last  winter.  It  seems  they 
come  in  the  cool  weather,  and  get  their  sights  and  measure 
their  distances,  and  go  home  in  the  warm  weather,  and 
work  out  their  traverses  in  the  shade,  as  it  might  be." 

"  This  seems  likely,  Jack ;  but,  come  whence  it  may  it 
is  welcome,  and  we  will  taste  it." 


88  JACK  TIER; 

Mulford  then  drew  the  cork  of  this  mild  and  gratefu* 
liquor,  and  helped  his  companions  arid  himself.  In  this 
age  of  moral  tours  deforce,  one  scarcely  dare  say  anything 
favourable  of  a  liquid  that  even  bears  the  name  of  wine,  or 
extol  the  shape  of  a  bottle.  It  is  truly  the  era  of  exaggera 
tion.  Nothing  is  treated  in  the  old-fashioned,  natural,  com 
mon  sense  way.  Virtue  is  no  longer  virtue,  unless  it  get 
upon  stilts;  and,  as  for  sin's  being  confined  to  "  transgres 
sion  against  the  law  of  God,"  audacious  would  be  the 
wretch  who  should  presume  to  limit  the  sway  of  the  socie 
ties  by  any  dogma  so  narrow!  A  man  may  be  as  abste 
mious  as  an  anchorite  and  get  no  credit  for  it,  unless  "  he 
sign  the  pledge;"  or,  signing  the  pledge,  he  may  get  fud 
dled  in  corners,  and  be  cited  as  a  miracle  of  sobriety.  The 
test  of  morals  is  no  longer  in  the  abuse  of  the  gifts  of  Prov 
idence,  but  in  their  use;  prayers  are  deserting  the  closet 
for  the  corners  of  streets,  and  charity  (not  the  giving  of 
alms)  has  got  to  be  so  earnest  in  the  demonstration  of  its 
nature,  as  to  be  pretty  certain  to  "  begin  at  Lome,"  and  to 
end  where  it  begins.  Even  the  art  of  mendacity  has  been 
aroused  by  the  great  progress  which  is  making  by  all  around 
it,  and  many  manifest  the  strength  of  their  ambition  by 
telling  ten  lies  where  their  fathers  would  have  been  satis 
fied  with  telling  only  one.  This  art  has  made  an  extraor 
dinary  progress  within  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  aspiring 
to  an  ascendency  that  was  formerly  conceded  only  to  truth, 
until  he  who  gains  his  daily  bread  by  it  has  some  such 
contempt  for  the  sneaking  wretch  who  does  business  on 
the  small  scale,  as  the  slayer  of  his  thousands  in  the  field 
is  known  to  entertain  for  him  who  kills  only  a  single  man 
in  the  course  of  a  long  life. 

At  the  risk  of  damaging  the  reputations  of  our  hero  and 
heroine,  we  shall  frankly  aver  the  fact  that  both  Harry  and 
Rose  partook  of  the  vin  de  Bordeaux,  a  very  respectable 
bottle  of  3Iedoc,  by  the  way,  which  had  been  forgotten  by 
Uncle  Sam's  people,  in  the  course  of  the  preceding  winter, 
agreeably  to  Jack  Tier's  conjecture.  One  glass  sufficed 
for  Rose,  and,  contrary  as  it  may  be  to  all  modern  theory, 
she  was  somewhat  the  better  for  it ;  while  the  mate  and 
Jack  Tier  quite  half  emptied  the  bottle,  being  none  the 
worse.  There  they  sat,  enjoying  the  security  and  abun- 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  89 

dance  which  had  succeeded  to  their  late  danger,  happy  in 
that  security,  happy  in  themselves,  and  happy  in  the  pros 
pects  of  a  bright  future.  It  was  just  as  practicable  for 
them  to  remain  at  the  Dry  Tortugas,  as  it  was  for  the  fa 
mily  which  ordinarily  dwelt  at  the  light.  The  place  was 
amply  supplied  with  everything  that  would  be  necessary 
for  their  wants,  for  months  to  come,  and  Harry  caused  his 
betrothed  to  blush,  as  he  whispered  to  her,  should  the 
chaplain  arrive,  he  should  delight  in  passing  the  honey-moon 
where  they  then  were. 

"I  could  tend  the  light,"  he  added,  smiling,  "which 
would  be  not  only  an  occupation,  but  a  useful  occupation  ; 
you  could  read  all  those  books  from  beginning  to  end,  and 
Jack  could  keep  us  supplied  with  fish.  By  the  way,  mas 
ter  steward,  are  you  in  the  humour  for  motion,  so  soon 
after  your  hearty  meal  ?" 
."  Anything  to  be  useful,"  answered  Jack,  cheerfully. 

"  Then  do  me  the  favour  to  go  up  into  the  lantern  of  the 
light-house,  and  take  a  look  for  the  sloop-of-war.  If  she  's 
in  sight  at  all,  you'll  find  her  off  here  to  the  northward; 
and  while  you  are  aloft  you  may  as  well  make  a  sweep  of 
the  whole  horizon.  There  hangs  the  light-house  keeper's 
glass,  which  may  help  your  eyes,  by  stepping  into  the  gal 
lery  outside  of  the  lantern." 

Jack  willingly  complied,  taking  the  glass  and  proceed 
ing  forthwith  to  the  other  building.  Mulford  had  two  ob 
jects  in  view  in  giving  this  commission  to  the  steward.  He 
really  wished  to  ascertain  what  was  the  chance  of  seeing 
the  Foughkeepsie,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  islets,  arid 
felt  just  that  indisposition  to  move  himself,  that  is  apt  to 
come  over  one  who  has  recently  made  a  very  bountiful 
meal,  while  he  also  desired  to  have  another  private  conver 
sation  with  Rose. 

A  good  portion  of  the  time  that  Jack  was  gone,  and  he 
stayed  quite  an  hour  in  the  lantern,  our  lovers  conversed  as 
lovers  are  much  inclined  to  converse;  that  is  to  say,  of 
themselves,  their  feelings,  and  their  prospects.  Mulford 
told  Rose  of  his  hopes  and  fears,  while  he  visited  at  the 
house  of  her  aunt,  previously  to  sailing,  and  the  manner  in 
which  his  suspicions  had  been  first  awakened  in  reference 
to  the  intentions  of  Spike — intentions,  so  far  as  they  were 
8* 


90  JACK-TIER; 

connected  with  an  admiration  of  his  old  commander's  niece, 
and  possibly  in  connection  also  with  the  little  fortune  she 
was  known  to  possess,  but  not  in  reference  to  the  bold  pro 
ject  to  which  he  had,  in  fact,  resorted.  No  distrust  of  the 
scheme  finally  put  in  practice  had  ever  crossed  the  mind 
of  the  young  mate,  until  he  received  the  unexpected  order, 
mentioned  in  our  opening  chapter,  to  prepare  the  brig  for 
the  reception  of  Mrs.  Budd  and  her  party.  Harry  confessed 
his  jealousy  of  one  youth  whom  he  dreaded  far  more  even 
than  he  had  ever  dreaded  Spike,  and  whose  apparent  favour 
with  Rose,  and  actual  favour  with  her  aunt,  had  given  him 
many  a  sleepless  night. 

They  next  conversed  of  the  future,  which  to  them  seemed 
full  of  flowers.  Various  were  the  projects  started,  dis 
cussed,  and  dismissed,  between  them,  the  last  almost  as 
soon  as  proposed.  On  one  thing  they  were  of  a  mind,  as  soon 
as  proposed.  Harry  was  to  have  a  ship  as  quick  as  one 
could  be  purchased  by  Rose's  means,  and  the  promised 
bride  laughingly  consented  to  make  one  voyage  to  Europe 
along  with  her  husband. 

"  I  wonder,  dear  Rose,  my  poverty  has  never  presented 
any  difficulties  in  the  way  of  our  union,"  said  Harry,  sen 
sibly  touched  with  the  free  way  his  betrothed  disposed  of 
her  own  money  in  his  behalf;  "  but  neither  you  nor  Mrs. 
Budd  has  ever  seemed  to  think  of  the  difference  there  is 
between  us  in  this  respect." 

"  What  is  the  trifle  I  possess,  Harry,  set  in  the  balance 
against  your  worth  1  My  aunt,  as  you  say,  has  thought  I 
might  even  be  the  gainer  by  the  exchange." 

"  I  am  sure  I  feel  a  thousand  times  indebted  to  Mrs 
Budd—" 

"  Aunt  Budd.  You  must  learn  to  say,  (my  Aunt  Budd,' 
Mr.  Henry  Mulford,  if  you  mean  to  live  in  peace  with  her 
unworthy  niece." 

"  Aunt  Budd,  then,"  returned  Harry,  laughing,  for  the 
laugh  came  easily  that  evening;  "Aunt  Budd,  if  you  wish 
it,  Rose.  I  can  have  no  objection  to  call  any  relative  of 
yours,  uncle  or  aunt." 

"  I  think  we  are  intimate  enough,  now,  to  ask  you  a 
question  or  two,  Harry,  touching  my  aunt,"  continued 
Rose,  looking  stealthily  over  her  shoulder,  as  if  apprehen- 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  91 

sive  of  being  overheard.  "You  know  how  fond  she  is  of 
speaking  of  the  sea,  and  of  indulging  in  nautical  phrases?" 
"  Any  one  must  have  observed  that,  Rose,"  answered 
the  young  man,  gazing  up  at  the  wall,  in  order  not  to  be 
compelled  to  look  the  beautiful  creature  before  him  in  the 
eyes — "  Mrs.  Budd  has  very  strong  tastes  that  way." 

"Now  tell  me,  Harry  —  that  is,  answer  me  frankly — I 
mean— she  is  not  always  right,  is  she?" 

"Why,  no;  not  absolutely  so  —  that  is,  not  absolutely 
always  so — few  persons  are  always  right,  you  know." 

Rose  remained  silent  and  embarrassed  for  a  moment; 
after  which  she  pursued  the  discourse. 

"  But  aunty  does  not  know  as  much  of  the  sea  and  of 
ships  as  she  thinks  she  does?" 

"  Perhaps  not.  We  all  overrate  our  own  acquirements. 
I  dare  say  that  even  I  am  not  as  good  a  seaman  as  I  fancy 
myself  to  be." 

"  Even  Spike  admits  that  you  are  what  he  calls  '  a  prime 
seaman.'  But  it  is  not  easy  for  a  woman  to  get  a  correct 
knowledge  of  the  use  of  all  the  strange,  and  sometimes  un 
couth,  terms  that  you  sailors  use." 

"  Certainly  not,  and  for  that  reason  I  would  rather  you 
should  never  attempt  it,  Rose.  We  rough  sons  of  the 
ocean  would  prefer  to  hear  our  wives  make  divers  pretty 
blunders,  rather  than  to  be  swaggering  about  like  so  many 
'  old  salts.'  " 

"  Mr.  Mulford !  Does  Aunt  Budd  swagger  like  an  old 
salt?" 

"  Dearest  Rose,  I  was  not  thinking  of  your  aunt,  but  of 
you.  Of  you,  as  you  are,  feminine,  spirited,  lovely  alike 
in  form  and  character,  and  of  you  a  graduate  of  the  ocean, 
and  full  of  its  language  and  ideas." 

It  was  probable  Rose  was  not  displeased  at  this  allusion 
to  herself,  for  a  smile  struggled  around  her  pretty  mouth, 
and  she  did  not  look  at  all  angry.  After  another  short 
pause,  she  resumed  the  discourse. 

"  My  aunt  did  not  very  clearly  comprehend  those  expla 
nations  of  yours  about  the  time  of  day,  and  the  longitude," 
she  said,  "  nor  am  I  quite  certain  that  I  did  myself." 

"  You  understood  them  far  better  than  Mrs.  Budd,  Rose. 
Women  are  so  little  accustomed  to  think  on  such  subjects 


92  JACKTIEU: 

at  all,  that  it  is  not  surprising  they  sometimes  get  confused. 
I  do  wish,  however,  that  your  aunt  could  he  persuaded  to 
be  more  cautious  in  the  presence  of  strangers,  on  the  sub 
ject  of  terms  she  does  not  understand." 

"  I  feared  it  might  be  so,  Harry,"  answered  Rose,  in  a 
low  voice,  as  if  unwilling  even  he  should  know  the  full  ex 
tent  of  her  thoughts  on  this  subject;  "  but  my  aunt's  heart 
is  most  excellent,  though  she  may  make  mistakes  occasion 
ally.  I  owe  her  a  great  deal,  if  not  absolutely  my  educa 
tion,  certainly  my  health  and  comfort  through  childhood, 
and  more  prudent,  womanly  advice  than  you  may  suppose, 
perhaps,  since  I  have  left  school.  How  she  became  the 
dupe  of  Spike,  indeed,  is  to  me  unaccountable;  for  in  all 
that  relates  to  health,  she  is,  in  general,  both  acute  and 
skilful." 

"  Spike  is  a  man  of  more  art  than  he  appears  to  be  to 
superficial  observers.  On  my  first  acquaintance  with  him, 
I  mistook  him  for  a  frank,  fearless  but  well-meaning  sailor, 
who  loved  hazardous  voyages  and  desperate  speculation — 
a  sort  of  innocent  gambler;  but  I  have  learned  to  know 
better.  His  means  are  pretty  much  reduced  to  his  brig, 
and  she  is  getting  old,  and  can  do  but  little  more  service. 
His  projects  are  plain  enough,  now.  By  getting  you  into 
his  power,  he  hoped  to  compel  a  marriage,  in  which  case 
both  your  fortune  and  your  aunt's  would  contribute  to  re 
pair  his." 

"  He  might  have  killed  me,  but  I  never  would  have  mar 
ried  him,"  rejoined  Rose,  firmly.  "  Is  not  that  Jack  com 
ing  down  the  steps  of  the  light-house?" 

"  It  is.  I  find  that  fellow's  attachment  to  Spike  very 
extraordinary,  Rose.  Can  you,  in  any  manner,  account 
for  it?" 

Rose  at  first  seemed  disposed  to  reply.  Her  lips  parted, 
as  if  about  to  speak,  and  closed  again,  as  glancing  her  eyes 
toward  the  open  door,  she  seemed  to  expect  the  appearance 
of  the  steward's  little,  rotund  form  on  its  threshold,  which 
held  her  tongue-tied.  A  brief  interval  elapsed,  however, 
ere  Jack  actually  arrived,  and  Rose,  perceiving  that  Harry 
was  curiously  expecting  her  answer,  said  hurriedly — "  It 
may  be  hatred,  riot  attachment." 

The  next  instant  Jack  Tier  entered  the  room.     He  had 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  93 

been  gone  rather  more  than  an  hour,  not  returning  until 
just  as  the  sun  was  about  to  set  in  a  flame  of  fire. 

"  Well,  Jack,  what  news  from  the  Poughkeepsie?"  de 
manded  the  mate.  "  You  have  been  gone  long  enough  to 
make  sure  of  your  errand.  Is  it  certain  that  we  are  not 
to  see  the  rnan-of-war's-men  to-night." 

"  Whatever  you  see,  my  advice  to  you  is  to  keep  close, 
and  to  be  on  your  guard,"  answered  Jack,  evasively. 

"  I  have  little  fear  of  any  of  Uncle  Sam's  craft.  A  plain 
story,  and  an  honest  heart,  will  make  all  clear  to  a  well- 
disposed  listener.  We  have  not  been  accomplices  in 
Spike's  treasons,  and  cannot  be  made  to  answer  for  them." 

"  Take  my  advice,  maty,  and  be  in  no  hurry  to  hail 
every  vessel  you  see.  Uncle  Sam's  fellows  may  not  always 
be  at  hand  to  help  you.  Do  you  not  know  that  this  island 
will  be  tabooed  to  seamen  for  some  time  to  come?" 

"  Why  so,  Jack?  The  islet  has  done  no  harm,  though 
others  may  have  performed  wicked  deeds  near  it." 

"  Two  of  the  drowned  men  lie  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  this  spot,  and  sailors  never  go  near  new-made  graves,  if 
they  can  find  any  other  place  to  resort  to." 

"  You  deal  in  enigmas,  Jack ;  and  did  I  not  know  that 
you  are  very  temperate,  I  might  suspect  that  the  time  you 
have  been  gone  has  been  passed  in  the  company  of  a  bottle 
of  brandy." 

"  That  will  explain  my  meanin',"  said  Jack,  laconically, 
pointing  as  he  spoke  seemingly  at  some  object  that  was  to 
be  seen  without. 

The  door  of  the  house  was  wide  open,  for  the  admission 
of  air.  It  faced  the  haven  of  the  islets,  and  just  as  the 
mate's  eyes  were  turned  to  it,  the  end  of  a  flying-jib-boom, 
with  the  sail  down,  and  fluttering  beneath  it,  was  coming 
into  the  view.  "  The  Poughkeepsie  !"  exclaimed  Malford, 
in  delight,  seeing  all  his  hopes  realized,  while  Rose  blush 
ed  to  the  eyes.  A  pause  succeeded,  during  which  Malford 
drew  aside,  keeping  his  betrothed  in  the  back-ground,  and 
as  much  out  of  sight  as  possible.  The  vessel  was  shooting 
swiftly  into  view,  and  presently  all  there  could  see  it  was 
the  Swash. 


94  J  A  C  K     T  I  E  R  ; 


CHAPTER  IV. 


But  no — he  surely  is  not  dreaming. 

Another  minute  makes  it  clear, 

A  scream,  a  rush,  a  burning  tear, 

From  Inez'  cheek,  dispel  the  fear 
That  bliss  like  his  is  only  seeming. 

WASHINGTON  ALSTON. 

A  MOMENT  of  appalled  surprise  succeeded  the  instant 
when  Harry  and  Rose  first  ascertained  the  real  character 
of  the  vessel  that  had  entered  the  haven  of  the  Dry  Tortu- 
gas.  Then  the  first  turned  toward  Jack  Tier,  and  sternly 
demanded  an  explanation  of  his  apparent  faithlessness. 

"  Rascal,"  he  cried,  "  has  this  treachery  been  intended  ? 
Did  you  not  see  the  brig  and  know  her  1" 

"Hush,  Harry — dear  Harry/3  exclaimed  Rose,  entreat- 
ingly.  "  My  life  for  it,  Jack  has  not  been  faithless." 

"  Why,  then,  has  he  not  let  us  know  that  the  brig  was 
coming?  For  more  than  an  hour  has  he  been  aloft,  on 
the  look-out,  and  here  are  we  taken  quite  by  surprise. 
Rely  on  it,  Rose,  he  has  seen  the  approach  of  the  brig,  and 
might  have  sooner  put  us  on  our  guard." 

"  Ay,  ay,  lay  it  on,  maty,"  said  Jack,  coolly,  neither 
angry  nor  mortified,  so  far  as  appearances  went,  at  these 
expressions  of  dissatisfaction  ;  "  my  back  is  used  to  it.  If 
I  did  n't  know  what  it  is  to  get  hard  raps  on  the  knuckles, 
I  should  be  but  a  young  steward.  But,  as  for  this  busi 
ness,  a  little  reflection  will  tell  you  I  am  not  to  blame." 

"Give  us  your  own  explanations,  for  without  them  I 
shall  trust  you  no  longer." 

"  Well,  sir,  what  good  would  it  have  done,  had  I  told 
you  the  brig  was  standing  for  this  place?  There  she  came 
down,  like  a  race-horse,  and  escape  for  you  was  impossible. 
As  the  wind  is  now  blowing  the  Molly  would  go  two  feet 
to  the  boat's  one,  and  a  chase  would  have  been  madness." 

"  I  do  n't  know  that,  sirrah,"  answered  the  mate.     "  The 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  95 

boat  might  have  got  into  the  smaller  passages  of  the  reef, 
where  the  brig  could  not  enter,  or  she  might  have  dodged 
about  among  these  islets,  until  it  was  night,  arid  then  es 
caped  in  the  darkness." 

"  I  thought  of  all  that,  Mr.  Mulford,  but  it  came  too  late. 
When  I  first  went  aloft,  I  came  out  on  the  north-west  side 
of  the  lantern,  and  took  my  seat,  to  look  out  for  the  sloop- 
of-war,  as  you  bade  me,  sir.  Well,  there  I  was  sweepin' 
the  horizon  with  the  glass  for  the  better  part  of  an  hour, 
sometimes  fancyin'  I  saw  her,  and  then  givin'  it  up;  for  to 
this  moment  I  am  riot  sartain  there  is  n't  a  sail  off  here  to 
the  westward,  turning  up  toward  the  light  on  a  bowline; 
but  if  there  be,  she 's  too  far  off  to  know  anything  partic'- 
lar  about  her.  Well,  sir,  there  I  sat,  looking  for  the 
Poughkeepsie,  for  the  better  part  of  an  hour,  when  I 
thought  I  would  go  round  on  t'  other  side  of  the  lantern 
and  take  a  look  to  windward.  My  heart  was  in  my  mouth, 
I  can  tell  you,  Miss  Rose,  when  I  saw  the  brig ;  and  I  felt 
both  glad  and  sorry.  Glad  on  my  own  account,  and  sorry 
on  your'n.  There  she  was,  however,  and  no  help  for  it, 
within  two  miles  of  this  very  spot,  and  coming  down  as  if 
she  despised  touching  the  water  at  all.  Now,  what  could 
I  do?  There  wasn't  time,  Mr.  Mulford,  to  get  the  boat 
out,  and  the  mast  stepped,  afore  we  should  have  been  with 
in  reach  of  canister,  and  Stephen  Spike  would  not  have 
spared  that,  in  order  to  get  you  again  within  his  power." 

"  Depend  on  it,  Harry,  this  is  all  true,"  said  Rose,  ear 
nestly.  "  I  know  Jack  well,  and  can  answer  for  his  fidel 
ity.  He  wishes  to,  and  if  he  can  he  will  return  to  the  brig, 
whither  he  thinks  his  duty  calls  him,  but  he  will  never 
willingly  betray  us — least  of  all,  me.  Do  I  speak  as  I  ought, 
Jack?" 

"Gospel  truth,  Miss  Rose,  and  Mr.  Mulford  will  get 
over  this  squall,  as  soon  as  he  comes  to  think  of  matters  as 
he  ought.  There  's  my  hand,  maty,  to  show  I  bear  no 
malice." 

"  I  take  it,  Jack,  for  I  must  believe  you  honest,  after  all 
you  have  done  for  us.  Excuse  my  warmth,  which,  if  a  lit- 
tie  unreasonable,  was  somewhat  natural  under  the  circum 
stances.  I  suppose  our  case  is  now  hopeless,  and  that  we 
shall  all  be  soon  on  board  the  brig  again;  for  Spike  will 


96  JACK    TIER; 

hardly  think  of  abandoning  rne  again  on  an  island  provi 
sioned  and  fitted  as  is  this!" 

"It's  not  so  sartain,  sir,  that  you  fall  into  his  hands  at 
all,"  put  in  Jack.  "The  men  of  the  brig  will  never  come 
here  of  their  own  accord,  depend  on  that,  for  sailors  do  n  t 
like  graves.  Spike  has  come  in  here  a'ter  the  schooner's 
chain,  that  he  dropped  into  the  water  when  he  made  sail 
from  the  sloop-of-war,  at  the  time  he  was  here  afore,  and 
is  not  expectin'  to  find  us  here.  No — no — he  thinks  we 
are  beatin'  up  toward  Key  West  this  very  minute,  if,  in 
deed,  he  has  missed  us  at  all.  'T  is  possible  he  believes 
the  boat  has  got  adrift  by  accident,  and  has  no  thought  of 
our  bein'  out  of  the  brig." 

"  That  is  impossible,  Jack.  Do  you  suppose  he  is  igno 
rant  that  Rose  is  missing?" 

"  Sartair:  of  it,  maty,  if  Mrs.  Budd  has  read  the  letter 
well  that  Miss  Rose  left  for  her,  and  Biddy  has  obeyed  or 
ders.  If  they've  followed  instructions,  Miss  Rose  is 
thought  to  be  ia  her  state-room,  mournin'  for  a  young  man 
who  was  abandoned  on  a  naked  rock,  and  Jack  Tier,  havin' 
eat  sornethin'  that  has  disagreed  with  him,  is  in  his  berth. 
Recollect,  Spike  will  not  be  apt  to  look  into  Miss  Rose's 
state-room  or  my  berth,  to  see  if  all  this  is  true.  The 
cook  and  Josh  are  both  in  my  secret,  and  know  I  mean  to 
come  back,  and  when  the  fit  is  over  I  have  only  to  return 
to  duty,  like  any  other  hand.  It  is  my  calculation  that 
Spike  believes  both  Miss  Rose  and  myself  on  board  the 
Molly  at  this  very  moment." 

"  And  the  boat — what  can  he  suppose  has  become  of  the 
boat  ?" 

"  Sartainly,  the  boat  makes  the  only  chance  ag'in  us. 
But  the  boat  was  ridin'  by  its  painter  astarn,  and  accidents 
sometimes  happen  to  such  craft.  Then  we  two  are  the 
wery  last  he  will  suspect  of  havin'  made  off  in  the  boat  by 
ourselves.  There'll  be  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy  as  a  sort  of 
pledge  that  Miss  Rose  is  aboard,  and  as  for  Jack  Tier,  ho 
is  too  insignificant  to  occupy  the  captain's  thoughts  just 
now.  lie  will  probably  muster  the  people  for'ard,  when 
he  finds  the  boat  is  gone,  but  I  do  not  think  he'll  trouble 
the  cabins  or  state-rooms." 

Mulford    admitted    that    this   was  possible,    though   it 


I 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  97 

scarcely  seemed  probable  to  him.  There  was  no  help, 
however,  for  the  actual  state  of  things,  and  they  all  now 
turned  their  attention  to  the  brig,  and  to  the  movements 
of  those  on  board  her.  Jack  Tier  had  svvung-to  the  outer- 
door  of  the  house,  as  soon  as  the  Swash  came  in  view 
through  it,  and  fortunately  none  of  the  windows  on  that 
side  of  the  building  had  been  opened  at  all.  The  air  en 
tered  to  windward,  which  was  on  the  rear  of  the  dwelling, 
so  that  it  was  possible  to  be  comfortable  and  yet  leave  the 
front,  in  view  from  the  vessel,  with  its  deserted  air.  As 
for  the  brig,  she  had  already  anchored  and  got  both  her 
boats  into  the  water.  The  yawl  was  hauled  alongside,  in 
readiness  for  any  service  that  might  be  required  of  it,  while 
the  launch  had  been  manned  at  once,  and  was  already 
weighing  the  anchor,  and  securing  the  chain  to  which  Tier 
had  alluded.  All  this  served  very  much  to  lessen  the  un 
easiness  of  Mulford  and  Rose,  as  it  went  far  to  prove  that 
Spike  had  not  come  to  the  Dry  Tortugas  in  quest  of  them, 
as,  at  first,  both  had  very  naturally  supposed.  It  might, 
indeed,  turn  out  that  his  sole  object  was  to  obtain  this  an 
chor  and  chain,  with  a  view  to  use  them  in  raising  the  ill- 
fated  vessel  that  had  now  twice  gone  to  the  bottom. 

"  I  wish  an  explanation  with  you,  Jack,  on  one  other 
point,"  said  the  mate,  after  all  three  had  been  for  sometime 
observing  the  movements  on  board  and  around  the  Swash. 
"  Do  you  actually  intend  to  get  on  board  the  brig?" 

"  If  it's  to  be  done,  maty.  My  v'y'ge  is  up  with  you 
and  Miss  Rose.  I  may  be  said  to  have  shipped  for  Key 
West  and  a  market,  and  the  market's  found  at  this  port." 

"  You  will  hardly  leave  us  yet,  Jack,"  said  Rose,  with  a 
manner  and  emphasis  that  did  not  fail  to  strike  her  be 
trothed  lover,  though  he  could  in  no  way  account  for  either. 
That  Rose  should  not  wish  to  be  left  alone  with  him  in 
that  solitary  place  was  natural  enough ;  or,  might  rather 
be  referred  to  education  and  the  peculiar  notions  of  her 
sex;  but  he  could  riot  understand  why  so  much  importance 
should  be  attached  to  the  presence  of  a  being  of  Jack  Tier's 
mould  and  character.  It  was  true,  that  there  was  little 
choice,  under  present  circumstances,  but  it  occurred  to 
Mulford  that  Rose  had  manifested  the  same  strange  predi 
lection  when  there  mi^ht  have  been  something  nearer  lo  a 

VOL.  II.— 9 


98  JAOK  TIER; 

selection.     The  moment,  however,,  was  not  one  for  much 
reflection  on  the  subject. 

"You  will  hardly  leave  us  yet,  Jack?"  said  Rose,  in 
the  manner  related. 

"It's  now  or  never,  Miss  Rose.  If  the  brig  once  gets 
away  from  this  anchorage  without  me,  I  may  never  lay  eyes 
on  her  ag'in.  Her  time  is  nearly  up,  for  wood  and  iron 
wont  hold  together  always,  any  more  than  flesh  and  blood. 
Consider  how  many  years  I  've  been  busy  in  huntin'  her 
up,  and  how  hard  't  will  be  to  lose  that  which  has  given 
me  so  many  weary  days  and  sleepless  nights  to  find." 

Rose  said  no  more.  If  not  convinced,  she  was  evidently 
silenced,  while  Harry  was  left  to  wonder  and  surmise,  as 
best  he  might.  Both  quitted  the  subject,  to  watch  the 
people  of  the  brig.  By  this  time  the  anchor  had  been  lift 
ed,  and  the  chain  was  heaving  in  on  board  the  vessel,  by 
means  of  a  line  that  had  been  got  around  its  bight.  The 
work  went  on  rapidly,  and  MuJford  observed  to  Rose  that 
he  did  not  think  it  was  the  intention  of  Spike  to  remain 
long  at  the  Tortugas,  inasmuch  as  his  brig  was  riding  by 
a  very  short  range  of  cable.  This  opinion  was  confirmed, 
half  an  hour  later,  when  it  was  seen  that  the  launch  was 
hooked  on  and  hoisted  in  again,  as  soon  as  the  chain  and 
anchor  of  the  schooner  were  secured. 

Jack  Tier  watched  every  movement  with  palpable  uneasi 
ness.  His  apprehensions  that  Spike  would  obtain  all  he 
wanted,  and  be  ofT  before  he  could  rejoin  him,  increased 
at  each  instant,  and  he  did  not  scruple  to  announce  an  in 
tention  to  take  the  boat  and  go  alongside  of  the  Swash  at 
every  hazard,  rather  than  be  left. 

"  You  do  not  reflect  on  what  you  say,  Jack,"  answered 
Harry;  "  unless,  indeed,  it  be  your  intention  to  betray  us. 
How  could  you  appear  in  the  boat,  at  this  place,  without 
letting  it  be  known  that  we  must  be  hard  by  ?" 

"That  don't  follow  at  all,  maty,"  answered  Jack. 
"  Suppose  I  go  alongside  the  brig  and  own  to  the  captain 
that  I  took  the  boat  last  night,  with  the  hope  of  findin'  you, 
and  that  failin'  to  succeed,  I  bore  up  for  this  port,  to  look 
for  provisions  and  water.  Miss  Rose  he  thinks  on  board 
at  this  moment,  and  in  my  judgment  he  would  take  rne  at 
my  word,  give  me  a  good  cursing,  and  think  no  more  about 
it." 


OK,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  99 

u  It  would  never  do,  Jack,"  interposed  Rose,  instantly. 
"  It  would  cause  the  destruction  of  Harry,  as  Spike  would 
not  believe  you  had  not  found  him,  without  an  examination 
of  this  house." 

"What  are  they  about  with  the  yawl,  Mr.  Mulford?" 
asked  Jack,  whose  eye  was  never  off  the  vessel  for  a  single 
moment.  "It's  gettin'  to  be  so  dark  that  one  can  hardly 
see  the  boat,  but  it  seems  as  if  they  're  about  to  man  the 
yawl." 

"  They  are,  and  there  goes  a  lantern  into  it.  And  that 
is  Spike  himself  coming  down  the  brig's  side  this  instant." 

"  They  can  only  bring  a  lantern  to  search  this  house," 
exclaimed  Rose.  "Oh!  Harry,  you  are  lost!" 

"  I  rather  think  the  lantern  is  for  the  light-house,"  an 
swered  Mulford,  whose  coolness,  at  what  w&s  certainly  a 
most  trying  moment,  did  riot  desert  him.  "Spike  may 
wish  to  keep  the  light  burning,  for  once  before,  you  will 
remember,  he  had  .it  kindled  after  the  keeper  was  removed. 
As  for  his  sailing,  he  would  not  be  apt  to  sail  until  the 
moon  rises;  and  in  beating  back  to  the  wreck  the  light 
may  serve  to  let  him  know  the  bearings  and  position  of  the 
reef." 

"  There  they  come,"  whispered  Rose,  hnlf  breathless 
with  alarm.  "  The  boat  has  left  the  brig,  and  is  coming 
directly  hither !" 

All  this  was  true  enough.  The  yawl  had  shoved  off, 
and  with  two  men  to  row  it,  was  pulling  for  the  wharf  in 
front  of  the  house,  and  among  the  timbers  of  which  lay  the 
boat,  pretty  well  concealed  beneath  a  sort  of  bridge.  Mul 
ford  would  not  retreat,  though  he  looked  to  the  fastenings 
of  the  door  as  a  means  of  increasing  his  chances  of  defence. 
In  the  stern-sheets  of  the  boat  sat  two  men,  though  it  was 
not  easy  to  ascertain  who  they  were  by  the  fading  light. 
One  was  known  to  be  Spike,  however,  and  the  other,  it 
was  conjectured,  must  be  Don  Juan  Montefalderon,  from  the 
circumstance  of  his  being  in  the  place  of  honour.  Three 
minutes  solved  this  question,  the  boat  reaching  the  wharf 
by  that  time.  It  was  instantly  secured,  and  all  four  of  the 
men  left  it.  Spike  was  now  plainly  to  be  discerned  by 
means  of  the  lantern  which  he  carried  in  his  own  hands. 
He  gave  some  orders,  in  his  customary  authoritative  way. 


100  JACK    TIER; 

and  in  a  high  key,  after  which  he  led  the  way  from  the 
wharf,  walking  side  by  side  with  the  Senor  Montefalderon. 
These  two  last  came  up  within  a  yard  of  the  door  of  the 
house,  where  they  paused,  enabling  those  within  not  only 
to  see  their  persons  and  the  working  of  their  countenances, 
but  to  hear  all  that  was  said ;  this  last  the  more  especially, 
since  Spike  never  thought  it  necessary  to  keep  his  power 
ful  voice  within  moderate  limits. 

"It's  hardly  worth  while,  Don  Wan,  for  you  to  go  into 
the  light-house,"  said  Spike.  "  JT  is  but  a  greasy,  dirty 
place  at  the  best,  and  one's  clothes  are  never  the  better  for 
dealin'  with  ile.  Here,  Bill,  take  the  lantern,  and  get  a 
rilled  can,  that  we  may  go  up  and  trim  and  fill  the  lamp, 
and  make  a  blaze.  Bear  a  hand,  lads,  and  I'll  be  a'ter 
ye  afore  you  reach  the  lantern.  Be  careful  with  the  flame 
about  the  ile,  for  seamen  ought  never  to  wish  to  see  a  light 
house  destroyed." 

"  What  do  you  expect  to  gain  by  lighting  the  lamps 
above,  Don  Esteban?"  demanded  the  Mexican,  when  the 
sailors  had  disappeared  in  the  light-house,  taking  their  own 
lantern  with  them. 

"  It's  wisest  to  keep  things  reg'lar  about  this  spot,  Don 
Wan,  which  will  prevent  unnecessary  suspicions.  But,  as 
the  brig  stretches  in  toward  the  reef  to-night,  on  our  way 
back,  the  light  will  be  a  great  assistance.  I  am  short  of 
officers,  you  know,  and  want  all  the  help  of  this  sort  I  can 
get." 

"  To  be  sincere  with  you,  Don  Esteban,  I  greatly  regret 
you  arc  so  short  of  officers,  and  do  not  yet  despair  of  in 
ducing  you  to  go  and  take  off  the  mate,  whom  I  hear  you 
have  left  on  a  barren  rock.  He  was  a  fine  young  fellow, 
Seilor  Spike,  and  the  deed  was  not  one  that  you  will  wish 
to  remember  a  few  years  hence." 

"  The  fellow  run,  and  I  took  him  at  his  word,  Don  Wan. 
I  'rn  not  obliged  to  receive  back  a  deserter  unless  it  suits 
me." 

"We  are  all  obliged  to  see  we  do  not  cause  a  fellow 
creature  the  loss  of  life.  This  will  prove  the  death  of  the 
charming  young  woman  who  is  so  much  attached  to  him, 
unless  you  relent  and  are  merciful !" 

"  Women  have  tender  looks  but  tough  hearts,"  answered 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  101 

Spike,  carelessly,  though  Mulford  felt  certain,  by  the  tone 
of  his  voice,  that  great  bitterness  of  feeling  lay  smothered 
beneath  the  affected  indifference  of  his  manner;  "  few  die 
of  love." 

"  The  young  lady  has  not  been  on  deck  all  day  ;  and  the 
Irish  woman  tells  me  that  she  does  nothing  but  drink  water 
• — the  certain  proof  of  a  high  fever." 

"  Ay,  ay,  she  keeps  her  room  if  you  will,  Don  Wan,  but 
she  is  not  about  to  make  a  dupe  of  rae  by  any  such  tricks. 
1  must  go  and  look  to  the  lamps,  however,  and  you  will 
find  the  graves  you  seek  in  the  rear  of  this  house,  about 
thirty  yards  behind  it,  you'll  remember.  That's  a  very 
pretty  cross  you  've  made,  senor,  and  the  skipper  of  the 
schooner's  soul  will  be  all  the  better  for  settin'  it  up  at  the 
head  of  his  grave." 

"  It  will  serve  to  let  those  who  come  after  us  know  that 
a  Christian  sleeps  beneath  the  sand,  Don  Esteban,"  an 
swered  the  Mexican,  mildly.  "I  have  no  other  expecta 
tion  from  this  sacred  symbol." 

The  two  now  separated,  Spike  going  into  the  light-house, 
little  in  a  hurry,  while  Don  Juan  Montefalderon  walked 
round  the  building  to  its  rear  in  quest  of  the  grave.  Mul 
ford  waited  a  moment  for  Spike  to  get  a  short  distance  up 
the  stairs  of  the  high  tower  he  had  to  ascend,  when  placing 
the  arm  of  Hose  within  his  own,  he  opened  the  door  in 
the  rear  of  the  house,  and  walked  boldly  toward  the  Mexi 
can.  Don  Juan  was  actually  forcing  the  pointed  end  of 
his  little  cross  into  the  sand,  at  the  head  of  his  country 
man's  grave,  when  Mulford  and  his  trembling  companion 
reached  the  spot.  Although  night  had  shut  in,  it  was  not 
so  dark  that  persons  could  not  be  recognised  at  small  dis 
tances.  The  Senor  Montefalderon  was  startled  at  an  ap 
parition  so  sudden  and  unexpected,  when  Mulford  saluted 
him  by  name ;  but  recognising  first  the  voice  of  Harry, 
and  then  the  persons  of  himself  and  his  companion,  sur 
prise,  rather  than  alarm,  became  the  emotion  that  was  up 
permost.  Notwithstanding  the  strength  of  the  first  of  these 
feelings,  he  instantly  saluted  the  young  couple  with  the 
polished  ease  that  marked  his  manner,  which  had  much  of 
the  courtesy  of  a  Castilian  in  it,  tempered  a  little,  perhaps, 
by  the  greater  flexibility  of  a  Southern  American. 
9* 


102  JACK  TIER; 

"  I  see  you,"  exclaimed  Don  Juan,  "  and  must  believe 
my  eyes.  Without  their  evidence,  however,  I  could  scarce 
believe  it  can  be  you  two,  one  of  whom  I  thought  on  board 
the  brig,  and  the  other  suffering  a  most  miserable  death  on 
a  naked  rock." 

"I  am  aware  of  your  kind  feelings  in  our  behalf,  Don 
Juan,"  said  JVlulford,  "  and  it  is  the  reason  I  now  confide 
in  you.  I  was  taken  off  that  rock  by  means  of  the  boat, 
which  you  doubtless  have  missed ;  and  this  is  the  gentle 
being  who  has  been  the  means  of  saving  my  life.  To  her 
and  Jack  Tier,  who  is  yonder,  under  the  shadows  of  the 
house,  I  owe  my  not  being  the  victim  of  Spike's  cruelty." 

"I  now  comprehend  the  whole  matter,  Don  Henriquez. 
Jack  Tier  has  managed  the  boat  for  the  senorita;  and 
those  whom  we  were  told  were  too  ill  to  be  seen  on  deck, 
have  been  really  out  of  the  brig!" 

"  Such  are  the  facts,  senor,  and  from  you  there  is  no 
wish  to  conceal  them.  We  are  then  to  understand  that 
the  absence  of  Rose  and  Jack  from  the  brig  is  not  known 
to  Spike." 

"  I  believe  not,  seiior.  He  has  alluded  to  both,  once  or 
twice  to-day,  as  being  ill  below ;  but  would  you  not  da 
well  to  retire  within  the  shade  of  the  dwelling,  lest  a  glance 
from  the  lantern  might  let  those  in  it  know  that  I  am  not 
alone." 

"  There  is  little  danger,  Don  Juan,  as  they  who  stand 
near  a  light  cannot  well  see  those  who  are  in  the  darkness. 
Beside,  they  are  high  in  the  air,  while  we  are  on  the 
ground,  which  will  greatly  add  to  the  obscurity  down  here. 
We  can  retire,  nevertheless,  as  I  have  a  few  questions  to 
ask,  which  may  as  well  be  put  in  perfect  security,  as  put 
where  there  is  any  risk." 

The  three  now  drew  near  the  house,  Rose  actually  step 
ping  within  its  door,  though  Harry  remained  on  its  exte 
rior,  in  order  to  watch  the  proceedings  of  those  in  the 
light-house.  Here  the  Sefior  Montefalderon  entered  into 
a  more  detailed  explanation  of  what  had  occurred  on  board 
the  brig,  since  the  appearance  of  day,  that  very  morning. 
According  to  his  account  of  the  matter,  Spike  had  imme 
diately  called  upon  the  people  to  explain  the  loss  of  the 
boat.  Tier  was  not  interrogated  on  this  occasion,  it  being 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  103 

understood  he  had  gone  below  and  turned  in,  after  having 
the  look-out  for  fully  half  the  night.  As  no  one  could,  or 
would,  give  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  boat 
was  missing,  Josh  was  ordered  to  go  below  and  question 
Jack  on  the  subject.  Whether  it  was  from  consciousness 
of  his  connection  with  the  escape  of  Jack,  and  apprehen 
sions  of  the  consequences,  or  from  innate  good-nature,  and 
a  desire  to  befriend  the  lovers,  this  black  now  admitted 
that  Jack  confessed  to  him  that  the  boat  had  got  away  from 
him  while  endeavouring  to  shift  the  turns  of  its  painter  from 
a  cleet  where  they  ought  not  to  be,  to  their  proper  place. 
This  occurred  early  in  Jack's  watch,  according  to  Josh's 
story,  arid  had  not  been  reported,  as  the  boat  did  not  pro 
perly  belong  to  the  brig,  and  was  an  incumbrance  rather 
than  an  advantage.  The  mate  admired  the  negro's  cun 
ning,  as  Don  Juan  related  this  part  of  his  story,  which  put 
him  in  a  situation  to  throw  all  the  blame  on  Jack's  menda 
city  in  the  event  of  a  discovery,  while  it  had  the  effect  to 
allow  the  fugitives  more  time  for  their  escape.  The  result 
was,  that  Spike  bestowed  a  few  hearty  curses,  as  usual,  on 
the  clumsiness  of  Jack  Tier,  and  seemed  to  forget  all  about 
the  matter.  It  is  probable  he  connected  Jack's  abstaining 
from  showing  himself  on  deck,  and  his  alleged  indisposi 
tion,  with  his  supposed  delinquency  in  this  matter  of  the 
boat.  From  that  moment  the  captain  appeared  to  give 
himself  no  further  concern  on  the  subject,  the  boat  having 
been,  in  truth,  an  incumbrance  rather  than  a  benefit,  as 
stated. 

"  As  for  Rose,  her  keeping  her  room,  under  the  circum 
stances,  was  so  very  natural,  that  the  Senor  Montefalderon 
had  been  completely  deceived,  as,  from  his  tranquillity  on 
this  point,  there  was  no  question  was  the  case  with  Spike 
also.  Biddy  appeared  on  deck,  though  the  widow  did  not, 
and  the  Irish  woman  shook  her  head  anxiously  when  ques 
tioned  about  her  young  mistress,  giving  the  spectators  rea 
son  to  suppose  that  the  latter  was  in  a  very  bad  way. 

As  respects  the  brig  and  her  movements,  Spike  had  got 
under  way  as  soon  as  there  was  light  enough  to  find  his 
course,  and  had  run  through  the  passage.  It  is  probable 
that  the  boat  was  seen ;  for  something  that  was  taken  for 
a  small  sail  had  just  been  made  out  for  a  single  instant,  and 


104  JACK   TIER; 

then  became  lost  again.  This  little  sail  was  made,  if  made 
at  all,  in  the  direction  of  the  Dry  Tortugas,  but  so  com 
pletely  was  all  suspicion  at  rest  in  the  minds  of  those  on 
the  quarter-deck  of  the  Swash,  that  neither  Spike  nor  the 
Mexican  had  the  least  idea  what  it  was.  When  the  cir 
cumstance  was  reported  to  the  former,  he  answered  that  it 
was  probably  some  small  wrecker,  of  which  many  were 
hovering  about  the  reef,  and  added,  laughingly,  though  in 
a  way  to  prove  how  little  he  thought  seriously  on  the  sub 
ject  at  all,  "  who  knows  but  the  light-house  boat  has  fallen 
into  their  hands,  arid  that  they've  made  sail  on  her;  if 
they  have,  my  word  for  it,  that  she  goes,  hull,  spars,  rigging, 
canvas,  and  cargo,  all  in  a  lump,  for  salvage." 

As  the  brig  came  out  of  the  passage,  in  broad  day,  the 
heads  of  the  schooner's  masts  were  seen,  as  a  matter  of 
course.  This  induced  Spike  to  heave-to,  lower  a  boat,  and 
to  go  in  person  to  examine  the  condition  of  the  wreck. 
It  will  be  seen  that  Jack's  presence  could  now  be  all  the  bet 
ter  dispensed  with.  The  examination,  with  the  soundings, 
and  other  calculations  connected  with  raising  the  vessel, 
occupied  hours.  When  they  were  completed,  Spike  re 
turned  on  board,  run  up  his  boat,  and  squared  away  for  the 
Dry  Tortugas.  Seiior  Montefalderon  confirmed  the  justice 
of  Jack  Tier's  surmises,  as  to  the  object  of  this  unexpect 
ed  visit.  The  brig  had  come  solely  for  the  chain  and  an 
chor  mentioned,  and  having  secured  them,  it  was  Spike's 
intention  to  get  under  way  and  beat  up  to  the  wreck  again 
as  soon  as  the  moon  rose.  As  for  the  sloop-of-war,  he  be 
lieved  she  had  given  him  up;  for  by  this  time  she  must 
know  that  she  had  no  chance  with  the  brig,  so  long  as  the 
latter  kept  near  the  reef,  an*d  that  she  ran  the  constant 
hazard  of  shipwreck,  while  playing  so  near  the  dangers 
herself. 

Before  the  Sefior  Montefalderon  exhausted  all  he  had  to 
communicate,  he  was  interrupted  by  Jack  Tier  with  a  sin 
gular  proposition.  Jack's  great  desire  was  to  get  on  board 
the  Swash  ;  and  he  now  begged  the  Mexican  to  let  Mulford 
take  the  yawl  and  scull  him  off  to  the  brig,  and  return  to 
the  islet  before  Spike  and  his  companions  should  descend 
from  the  lantern  of  the  light-house.  The  little  fellow  in 
sisted  there  was  sufficient  time  for  such  a  purpose,  as  the 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  105 

three  in  the  lantern  had  not  yet  succeeded  in  filling  the 
lamps  with  the  oil  necessary  to  their  burning  for  a  night — 
a  duty  that  usually  occupied  the  regular  keeper  for  an  hour. 
Five  or  six  minutes  would  suffice  for  him;  and  if  he  were 
seen  going  up  the  brig's  side,  it  would  be  easy  for  .him  to 
maintain  that  he  had  come  ashore  in  the  boat.  No  one 
took  such  precise  note  of  what  was  going  on,  as  to  be  able 
to  contradict  him ;  and  as  to  Spike  and  the  men  with  him, 
they  would  probably  never  hear  anything  about  it. 

Don  Juan  Montefalderon  was  struck  with  the  boldness 
of  Jack  Tier's  plan,  but  refused  his  assent  to  it.  He  deem 
ed  it  too  hazardous,  but  substituted  a  project  of  his  own. 
The  moon  would  not  rise  until  near  eleven,  and  it  wanted 
several  hours  before  the  time  of  sailing.  When  they  re 
turned  to  the  brig,  he  would  procure  his  cloak,  and  scull 
himself  ashore,  being  perfectly  used  to  managing  a  boat  in 
this  way,  under  the  pretence  of  wishing  to  pass  an  hour 
longer  near  the  grave  of  his  countryman.  At  the  expira 
tion  of  that  hour  he  would  take  Jack  off,  concealed  beneath 
his  cloak — an  exploit  of  no  great  difficulty  in  the  darkness, 
especially  as  no  one  would  be  on  deck  but  a  hand  or  two 
keeping  the  anchor-watch.  With  this  arrangement,  there 
fore,  Jack  Tier  was  obliged  to  be  content. 

Some  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  more  passed,  during 
which  the  Mexican  again  alluded  to  his  country,  and  his 
regrets  at  her  deplorable  situation.  The  battles  of  the  8th 
and  9th  of  May,  two  combats  that  ought  to,  and  which  will 
reflect  high  honour  on  the  little  army  that  won  them,  as 
well  as  on  that  hardly  worked,  and  in  some  respects  hardly 
used,  service  to  which  they  belong,  had  been  just  fought. 
Don  Juan  mentioned  these  events  without  reserve,  and  frank 
ly  admitted  that  success  had  fallen  to  the  portion  of  much  the 
weaker  party.  He  ascribed  the  victory  to  the  great  supe 
riority  of  the  American  officers  of  inferior  rank  ;  it  being 
well  known  that  in  the  service  of  the  "  Republic  of  the 
North,"  as  he  termed  America,  men  who  had  been  regu 
larly  educated  at  the  military  academy,  and  who  had  reach 
ed  the  period  of  middle  life,  were  serving  in  the  stations 
of  captains,  and  sometimes  in  that  of  lieutenants ;  men  who, 
in  many  cases,  were  fitted  to  command  regiments  and  bri 
gades,  having  been  kept  in  these  lower  stations  by  the  tar- 


106  JACK   TIER; 

diness  with  which  promotion  comes  in  an  army  like  that 
of  this  country. 

Don  Juan  Montefalderon  was  not  sufficiently  conversant 
with  the  subject,  perhaps,  else  he  might  have  added,  that 
when  occasions  do  offer  to  bestow  on  these  gentlemen  the 
preferment  they  have  so  hardly  and  patiently  earned,  they 
are  too  often  neglected,  in  order  to  extend  the  circle  of 
vulgar  political  patronage.  He  did  not  know  that  when  a 
new  regiment  of  dragoons  was  raised,  one  permanent  in 
its  character,  and  intended  to  be  identified  with  the  army 
in  all  future  time,  that,  instead  of  giving  its  commissions 
to  those  who  had  fairly  earned  them  by  long  privations  and 
faithful  service,  they  were  given,  with  one  or  two  excep 
tions,  to  strangers. 

No  government  trifles  more  with  its  army  and  navy  than 
our  own.  So  niggardly  are  the  master-spirits  at  Washing 
ton  of  the  honours  justly  earned  by  military  men,  that  we 
have  fleets  still  commanded  by  captains,  and  armies  by  of 
ficers  whose  regular  duty  it  would  be  to  command  brigades. 
The  world  is  edified  with  the  sight  of  forces  sufficient,  in 
numbers,  and  every  other  military  requisite,  to  make  one 
of  Napoleon's  corps  de  armke,  led  by  one  whose  commission 
would  place  him  properly  at  the  head  of  a  brigade,  and 
nobly  led,  too.  Here,  when  so  favourable  an  occasion  of 
fers  to  add  a  regiment  or  two  to  the  old  permanent  line  of 
the  army,  and  thus  infuse  new  life  into  its  hope  deferred, 
the  opportunity  is  overlooked,  and  the  rank  and  file  are  to 
be  obtained  by  cramming,  instead  of  by  a  generous  regard 
to  the  interests  of  the  gallant  gentlemen  who  have  done  so 
much  for  the  honour  of  the  American  name,  and,  unhap 
pily,  so  little  for  themselves.  The  extra-patriots  of  the 
nation,  and  they  form  a  legion  large  enough  to  trample  the 
"  Halls  of  the  Montezumas"  under  their  feet,  tell  us  that 
the  reward  of  those  other  patriots  beneath  the  shadows  of 
the  Sierra  Madre,  is  to  be  in  the  love  and  approbation  of 
their  fellow  citizens,  at  the  very  moment  when  they  are 
giving  the  palpable  proof  of  the  value  of  this  esteem,  and 
of  the  inconstancy  of  popular  applause,  by  pointing  their 
fingers,  on  account  of  an  inadvertent  expression  in  a  letter, 
at  the  gallant  soldier  who  taught,  in  our  own  times,  the 
troops  of  this  country  to  stand  up  to  the  best  appointed  re- 


OR,     THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  107 

giments  of  England,  and  to  carry  off  victory  from  the  pride 
of  Europe,  in  fair  field-fights.  Alas !  alas !  it  is  true  of 
nations  as  well  as  of  men,  in  their  simplest  and  earliest 
forms  of  association,  that  there  are  "  secrets  in  all  families ;" 
and  it  will  no  more  do  to  dwell  on  our  own,  than  it  would 
edify  us  to  expose  those  of  poor  Mexico. 

The  discourse  between  the  Sefior  Montefalderon  and 
Mulford  was  interesting,  as  it  ever  has  been  when  the  for 
mer  spoke  of  his  unfortunate  country.  On  the  subject  of 
the  battles  of  May  he  was  candid,  and  admitted  his  deep 
mortification  and  regrets.  He  had  expected  more  from  the 
force  collected  on  the  Rio  Grande,  though,  understanding 
the  northern  character  better  than  most  of  his  countrymen, 
he  had  not  been  as  much  taken  by  surprise  as  the  great 
bulk  of  his  own  nation. 

"  Nevertheless,  Don  Henrique,"  he  concluded,  for  the 
voice  of  Spike  was  just  then  heard  as  he  was  descending 
the  stairs  of  the  light-house,  "  nevertheless,  Don  Henrique, 
there  is  one  thing  that  your  people,  brave,  energetic,  and 
powerful  as  I  acknowledge  them  to  be,  would  do  well  to 
remember,  and  it  is  this — no  nation  of  the  numbers  of  ours 
can  be,  or  ever  was  conquered,  unless  by  the  force  of  poli 
tical  combinations.  In  a  certain  state  of  society  a  govern 
ment  may  be  overturned,  or  a  capital  taken,  and  carry  a 
whole  country  along  with  it,  but  our  condition  is  one  not 
likely  to  bring  about  such  a  result.  We  are  of  a  race  dif 
ferent  from  the  Anglo-Saxon,  and  it  will  not  be  easy  either 
to  assimilate  us  to  your  own,  or  wholly  to  subdue  us.  In 
those  parts  of  the  country,  where  the  population  fs  small, 
in  time,  no  doubt,  the  Spanish  race  might  be  absorbed, 
and  your  sway  established ;  but  ages  of  war  would  be  ne 
cessary  entirely  to  obliterate  our  usages,  our  language,  and 
our  religion  from  the  peopled  portions  of  Mexico." 

It  might  be  well  for  some  among  us  to  reflect  on  these 
matters.  The  opinions  of  Don  Juan,  in  our  judgment, 
being  entitled  to  the  consideration  of  all  prudent  and  con 
siderate  men. 

As  Spike  descended  to  the  door  of  the  light-house,  Har 
ry,  Rose,  and  Jack  Tier  retired  within  that  of  the  dwelling. 
Presently  the  voice  of  the  captain  was  heard  hailing  the 
Mexican,  and  together  they  walked  to  the  wharf,  the 


108  JACK  TIER; 

former  boasting  to  the  latter  of  his  success  in  making  a 
brilliant  light.  Brilliant  it  was,  indeed  ;  so  brilliant  as  to 
give  Mulford  many  misgivings  on  the  subject  of  the  boat. 
The  light  from  the  lantern  fell  upon  the  wharf,  and  he 
could  see  the  boat  from  the  window  where  he  stood,  with 
Spike  standing 'nearly  over  it,  waiting  for  the  men  to  get 
liis  own  yawl  ready.  It  is  true,  the  captain's  back  was 
toward  the  dangerous  object,  and  the  planks  of  the  bridge 
were  partly  between  him  and  it;  but  there  was  a  serious 
danger  that  was  solely  averted  by  the  circumstance  that 
Spike  was  so  earnestly  dilating  on  some  subject  to  Don 
Juan,  as  to  look  only  at  that  gentleman's  face.  A  minute 
later  they  were  all  in  the  yawl,  which  pulled  rapidly  toward 
the  brig. 

Don  Juan  Montefalderon  was  not  long  absent.  Ten 
minutes  sufficed  for  the  boat  to  reach  the  Swash,  for  him 
to  obtain  his  cloak,  and  to  return  to  the  islet  alone,  no  one 
in  the  vessel  feeling  a  desire  to  interfere  with  his  imaginary 
prayers.  As  for  the  people,  it  was  not  probable  that  one 
in  the  brig  could  have  been  induced  to  accompany  him  to 
the  graves  at  that  hour ;  though  everybody  but  Josh  had 
turned-in,  as  he  informed  Mulford,  to  catch  short  naps  pre 
viously  to  th.e  hour  of  getting  the  brig  under  way.  As  for 
he  steward,  he  had  been  placed  on  <the  look-out  as  the 
greatest  idler  on  board.  All  this  was  exceedingly  favour 
able  to  Jack  Tier's  project,  since  Josh  was  already  in  the 
secret  of  his  absence,  and  would  not  be  likely  to  betray  his 
return.  After  a  brief  consultation,  it  was  agreed  to  wait 
half  an  hour  or  an  hour,  in  order  to  let  the  sleepers  lose  all 
consciousness,  when  Don  Juan  proposed  returning  to  the 
vessel  with  his  new  companion. 

The  thirty  or  forty  minutes  that  succeeded  were  passed 
in  general  conversation.  On  this  occasion  the  Sefior  Mon 
tefalderon  spoke  more  freely  than  he  had  yet  done  of  recent 
events.  He  let  it  be  plainly  seen  how  much  he  despised 
Spike,  and  how  irksome  to  him  was  the  intercourse  he  was 
obliged  to  maintain,  and  to  which  he  only  submitted 
through  a  sense  of  duty.  The  money  known  to  be  in  the 
schooner,  was  of  a  larger  amount  than  had  been  supposed; 
and  every  dollar  was  so  important  to  Mexico,  at  that  mo 
ment,  that  he  did  not  like  to  abandon  it,  else,  did  he  de- 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  109 

clare,  that  he  would  quit  the  brig  at  once,  and  share  in  the 
fortunes  of  Harry  and  Rose.  He  courteously  expressed 
his  best  wishes  for  the  happiness  of  the  young  couple,  arid 
delicately  intimated  that,  under  the  circumstances,  he  sup 
posed  that  they  would  be  united  as  soon  as  they  could 
reach  a^place  where  the  marriage  rite  could  be  celebrated. 
This  was  said  in  the  most  judicious  way  possible;  so  deli 
cately  as  not  to  wound  any  one's  feelings,  and  in  a  way  to 
cause  it  to  resemble  the  announcement  of  an  expectation, 
rather  than  the  piece  of  paternal  advice  for  which  it  was 
really  intended.  Harry  was  delighted  with  this  suggestion 
of  his  Mexican  friend — the  most  loyal  American  may  still 
have  a  sincere  friend  of  Mexican  birth  and  Mexican  feel 
ings,  too — since  it  favoured  not  only  his  secret  wishes,  but 
his  secret  expectations  also. 

At  the  appointed  moment,  Don  Juan  Montefalderon  and 
Jack  Tier  took  their  leave  of  the  two  they  left  behind  them. 
Rose  manifested  what  to  Harry  seemed  a  strange  reluc 
tance  to  part  with  the  little  steward  ;  but  Tier  was  bent  on 
profiting  by  this  excellent  opportunity  to  get  back  to  the 
brig.  They  went,  accordingly,  and  the  anxious  listeners, 
who  watched  the  slightest  movement  of  the  yawl,  from  the 
shore,  had  reason  to  believe  that  Jack  was  smuggled  in 
without  detection.  They  heard  the  familiar  sound  of  the 
oar  falling  in  the  boat,  and  Mulford  said  that  Josh's  voice 
might  be  distinguished,  answering  to  a  call  from  Don  Juan. 
No  noise  or  clamour  was  heard,  such  as  Spike  would  cer 
tainly  have  made,  had  he  detected  the  deception  that  had 
been  practised  on  himself. 

Harry  and  Rose  were  now  alone.  The  former  suggest 
ed  that  the  latter  should  take  possession  of  one  of  the  little 
bed-rooms  that  are  usually  to  be  found  in  American  dwell 
ings  of  the  dimensions  and  humble  character  of  the  light 
house  abode,  while  he  kept  watch  until  the  brig  should  sail. 
Until  Spike  was  fairly  oft',  he  would  not  trust  himself  to 
sleep;  but  there  was  no  sufficient  reason  why  Rose  should 
not  endeavour  to  repair  the  evil  of  a  broken  night's  rest, 
like  that  which  had  been  passed  in  the  boat.  With  this 
understanding,  then,  our  heroine  took  possession  of  her 
little  apartment,  where  she  threw  herself  on  the  bed  in  her 

VOL.  II.  — 10 


110  JACK  TIER; 

clothes,  while  Mulford  walked  out  into  the  air,  as  the  most 
effective  means  of  helping  to  keep  his  eyes  open. 

It  was  now  some  time  past  ten,  and  before  eleven  the 
moon  would  rise.  The  mate  consequently  knew  that  his 
watch  could  not  be  long  before  Spike  would  quit  the  neigh 
bourhood — a  circumstance  pregnant  with  immense  relief 
to  him,  at  least.  So  long  as  that  unscrupulous,  and  now 
nearly  desperate,  man  remained  anywhere  near  Rose,  he 
felt  that  she  could  not  be  safe ;  and  as  he  paced  the  sands, 
on  the  off,  or  outer  side  of  the  islet,  in  order  to  be  beyond 
the  influence  of  the  light  in  the  lantern,  his  eye  was  scarce 
ly  a  moment  taken  away  from  the  Swash,  so  impatiently 
and  anxiously  did  he  wait  for  the  signs  of  some  movement 
on  board  her. 

The  moon  rose,  and  Mulford  heard  the  well-known  raps 
on  the  booby-hatch,  which  precedes  the  call  of  "  all  hands," 
on  board  a  merchant-man.  "  All  hands  up  anchor,  ahoy  !" 
succeeded,  and  in  less  than  five  minutes  the  bustle  on 
board  the  brig  announced  the  fact,  that  her  people  were 
"getting  the  anchor."  By  this  time  it  had  got  to  be  so 
light  that  the  mate  deemed  it  prudent  to  return  to  the 
house,  in  order  that  he  might  conceal  his  person  within  its 
shadows.  Awake  Rose  he  would  not,  though  he  knew  she 
would  witness  the  departure  of  the  Swash  with  a  satisfac 
tion  little  short  of  his  own.  He  thought  he  would  wait, 
that  when  he  did  speak  to  her  at  all,  it  might  be  to  an 
nounce  their  entire  safety.  As  regarded  the  aunt,  Rose 
was  much  relieved  on  her  account,  by  the  knowledge  that 
Jack  Tier  would  not  fail  to  let  Mrs.  Budd  know  everything 
connected  with  her  own  situation  and  prospects.  The  de 
sertion  of  Jack,  after  coming  so  far  with  her,  had  pained 
our  heroine  in  a  way  we  cannot  at  present  explain ;  but  go 
he  would,  probably  feeling  assured  there  was  no  longer  any 
necessity  for  his  continuance  with  the  lovers,  in  order  to 
prevail  on  Rose  to  escape  from  Spike. 

The  Swash  was  not  long  in  getting  her  ground-tackle, 
and  the  brig  was  soon  seen  with  her  topsail  aback,  waiting 
to  cat  the  anchor.  This  done,  the  yards  swung  round,  and 
the  topsail  filled.  It  was  blowing  just  a  good  breeze  for 
such  a  craft  to  carry  whole  sail  on  a  bow-line  with,  and 
away  the  light  and  active  craft  started,  like  the  racer  thai 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  Ill 

is  galloping  for  daily  exercise.  Of  course  there  were  seve 
ral  passages  by  which  a  vessel  might  quit  the  group  of  isl 
ets,  some  being  larger,  and  some  smaller,  but  all  having 
sufficient  water  for  a  brigantine  of  the  Molly's  draught, 
Determined  not  to  lose  an  inch  of  distance  unnecessarily, 
Spike  luffed  close  up  to  the  wind,  making  an  effort  to  pass 
out  to  windward  of  the  light.  In  order  to  do  this,  how 
ever,  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  make  two  short  tacks 
within  the  haven,  which  brought  him  far  enough  to  the 
southward  and  eastward  to  effect  his  purpose.  While  this 
was  doing,  the  mate,  who  perfectly  understood  the  object 
of  the  mano3uvres,  passed  to  the  side  of  the  light-house  that 
was  opposite  to  that  on  which  the  dwelling  was  placed, 
with  a  view  to  get  a  better  sight  of  the  vessel  as  she  stood 
out  to  sea.  In  order  to  do  this,  however,  it  was  necessary 
for  the  young  man  to  pass  through  a  broad  bit  of  moonlight : 
but  he  trusted  for  his  not  being  seen,  to  the  active  manner 
in  which  all  hands  were  employed  on  board  the  vessel.  It 
would  seem  that,  in  this  respect,  Mulford  trusted  without 
his  host,  for  as  the  vessel  drew  near,  he  perceived  that  six 
or  eight  figures  were  on  the  guns  of  the  Swash,  or  in  her 
rigging,  gesticulating  eagerly,  and.  seemingly  pointing  to 
the  very  spot  where  he  stood.  When  the  brig  got  fairly 
abeam  of  the  light,  she  would  not  be  a  hundred  yards  dis 
tant  from  it,  and  fearful  to  complete  the  exposure  of  his 
person,  which  he  had  so  inadvertently  and  unexpectedly 
commenced,  our  mate  drew  up  close  to  the  wall  of  the 
light-house,  against  which  he  sustained  himself  in  a  posi 
tion  as  immovable  as  possible.  This  movement  had  been 
seen  by  a  single  seaman  on  board  the  Swash,  and  the  man 
happened  to  be  one  of  those  who  had  landed  with  Spike 
only  two  hours  before.  His  name  was  Barlow. 

"  Captain  Spike,  sir,"  called  out  Barlow,  who  was  coil 
ing  up  rigging  on  the  forecastle,  and  was  consequently 
obliged  to  call  out  so  loud  as  to  be  heard  by  all  on  board, 
''yonder  is  a  man  at  the  foot  of  the  light-house." 

By  this  time,  the  moon  coming  out  bright  through  an 
opening  in  the  clouds,  Mulford  had  become  conscious  of 
the  risk  he  ran,  and  was  drawn  up,  as  immovable  as  the 
pile  itself,  against  the  stones  of  the  light-house.  Such  an 
announcement  brought  everybody  to  leeward,  and  every 


112  JACK   TIER; 

head  over  the  bulwarks.  Spike  himself  sprang  into  the  lee 
main-chains,  where  his  view  was  unobstructed,  and  where 
Mulford  saw  and  recognised  him,  even  bettcT  than  he  was 
seen  and  recognised  in  his  own  person.  All  this  time  the 
brig  was  moving  ahead. 

"  A  man,  Barlow  !"  exclaimed  Spike,  in  the  way  one  a 
little  bewildered  by  an  announcement  expresses  his  sur 
prise.  "  A  man  !  that  can  never  be.  There  is  no  one  at 
the  light-house,  you  know." 

"  There  he  stands,  sir,  with  his  back  to  the  tower,  and 
his  face  this  way.  His  dark  figure  against  the  white 
washed  stones  is  plain  enough  to  be  seen.  Living,  or  dead, 
sir,  that  is  the  mate  !" 

"  Living  it  cannot  be,"  answered  Spike,  though  he 
gulped  at  the  words  the  next  moment. 

A  general  exclamation  now  showed  that  everybody  re 
cognised  the  mate,  whose  figure,  stature,  dress,  and  even 
features,  were  by  this  time  all  tolerably  distinct.  The 
fixed  attitude,  however,  the  immovable  statue-like  rigidity 
of  the  form,  and  all  the  other  known  circumstances  of 
Harry's  case,  united  to  produce  a  common  and  simulta 
neous  impression  among  the  superstitious  mariners,  that 
what  they  saw  was  but  the  ghostly  shadow  of  one  lately  de 
parted  to  the  world  of  spirits.  Even  Spike  was  not  free 
from  this  illusion,  and  his  knees  shook  beneath  him,  there 
where  he  stood,  in  the  channels  of  a  vessel  that  he  had 
handled  like  a  top  in  so  many  gales  and  tempests.  With 
him,  however,  the  illusion  was  neither  absolute  nor  lasting. 
A  second  thought  told  him  it  could  scarcely  be  so,  and 
then  he  found  his  voice.  By  this  time  the  brig  was  nearly 
abreast  of  where  Harry  stood. 

"  You  Josh !"  called  out  Spike,  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 
loud  enough  to  startle  even  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy  in  their 
berths. 

"  Lor'  help  us  all !"  answered  the  negro,  "  what  will 
come  next  t'ing  aboard  dis  wessel  !  Here  I  be,  sir." 

"  Pass  the  fowling-piece  out  of  my  state-room.  Both 
barrels  are  loaded  with  ball;  I'll  try  him,  though  the  bul 
lets  are  only  lead." 

A  common  exclamation  of  dissatisfaction  escaped  the 
men,  while  Josh  was  obeying  the  order.  "It's  no  use." 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  113 

"  You  never  can  hurt  one  of  them  things,"  "  Something  will 
befall  the  brig  on  account  of  this,"  and  "It's  the  mate's 
sperit,  and  sperits  can't  be  harmed  by  lead  or  iron,"  were 
the  sort  of  remarks  made  by  the  seamen,  during  the  short 
interval  between  the  issuing  the  order  for  the  fowling-piece 
and  its  execution. 

"  There  'tis,  Cap'in  Spike,"  said  Josh,  passing  the  piece 
up  through  the  rigging,  "but  'twill  no  more  shoot  that 
thing,  than  one  of  our  carronades  would  blow  up  Gibraltar." 

By  this  time  Spike  was  very  determined,  his  lips  being 
compressed  and  his  teeth  set,  as  he  took  the  gun  and 
cocked  it.  Then  he  hailed.  As  all  that  passed  occurred, 
as  it  might  be,  at  once,  the  brig  even  at  that  moment  was 
little  more  than  abreast  of  the  immovable  mate,  and  about 
eighty  yards  from  him. 

"Light-house,  there!"  cried  Spike — "Living  or  dead, 
answer  or  I  fire." 

No  answer  came,  and  no  motion  appeared  in  the  dark 
figure  that  was  now  very  plainly  visible,  under  a  bright 
moon,  drawn  in  high  relief  against  the  glittering  white  of 
the  tower.  Spike  dropped  the  muzzle  to  its  aim,  and  fired. 

So  intense  was  the  attention  of  all  in  the  Swash,  that  a 
wink  of  Harry's  could  almost  have  been  seen,  had  he  be 
trayed  even  that  slight  sign  of  human  infirmity  at  the  flash 
and  the  report.  The  ball  was  flattened  against  a  stone  of 
the  building,  within  a  foot  of  the  mate's  body;  but  he  did 
not  stir.  All  depended  now  on  his  perfect  immovability, 
as  he  well  knew ;  and  he  so  far  commanded  himself,  as  to 
remain  rigid  as  if  of  stone  himself. 

"  There!  one  can  see  how  it  is — no  life  in  that  being," 
said  one.  "  I  know'd  how  it  would  end,"  added  another. 
"  Nothing  but  silver,  and  that  cast  on  purpose,  will  ever 
lay  it,"  continued  a  third.  But  Spike  disregarded  all. 
This  time  he  was  resolved  that  his  aim  should  be  better, 
and  he  was  inveterately  deliberate  in  getting  it.  Just  as  he 
pulled  the  trigger,  however,  Don  Juan  Montefalderon 
touched  his  elbow,  the  piece  was  fired,  and  there  stood  the 
immovable  figure  as  before,  fixed  against  the  tower.  Spike 
was  turning  angrily  to  chide  his  Mexican  friend  for  derang 
ing  his  aim,  when 'the  report  of  an  answering  musket  came 
back  like  an  echo.  Every  eye  was  turned  toward  the 
10* 


1 14  JACK    TIER;' 

figure,  but  it  moved  not.  Then  the  humming  sound  of  an 
advancing  ball  was  heard,  and  a  bullet  passed,  whistling 
hoarsely,  through  the  rigging,  and  fell  some  distance  to 
windward.  Every  head  disappeared  below  the  bulwarks. 
Even  Spike  was  so  far  astonished  as  to  spring  in  upon  deck, 
and,  for  a  single  instant,  not  a  man  was  to  be  seen  above 
the  monkey-rail  of  the  brig.  Then  Spike  recovered  him 
self  and  jumped  upon  a  gun.  His  first  look  was  toward 
the  light-house,  now  on  the  vessel's  lee-quarter ;  but  the 
spot  where  had  so  lately  been  seen  the  form  of  Mulford, 
showed  nothing  but  the  glittering  brightness  of  the  white 
washed  stones ! 

The  reader  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  all  these 
events  produced  a  strange  and  deep  impression  on  board 
the  Molly  Swash.  The  few  who  might  have  thrown  a  littre 
light  on  the  matter  were  discreetly  silent,  while  all  that 
portion  of  the  crew  which  was  in  the  dark,  firmly  believed 
that  the  spirit  of  the  murdered  mate  was  visiting  them,  in 
order  to  avenge  the  wrongs  inflicted  on  it  in  the  flesh. 
The  superstition  of  sailors  is  as  deep  as  it  is  general.  All 
those  of  the  Molly,  too,  were  salts  of  the  old  school,  sea- 
dogs  of  a  past  generation,  properly  speaking,  and  mariners 
who  had  got  their  notions  in  the  early  part  of  the  century, 
when  the  spirit  of  progress  was  less  active  than  it  is  at 
present. 

Spike  himself  might  have  had  other  misgivings,  and  be 
lieved  that  he  had  seen  the  living  form  of  his  intended  vic 
tim,  but  for  the  extraordinary  and  ghost-like  echo  of  his 
last  discharge.  There  was  nothing  visible,  or  intelligible, 
from  which  that  fire  could  have  come,  and  he  was  perfectly 
bewildered  by  the  whole  occurrence.  An  intention  to 
round-to,  as  soon  as  through  the  passage,  down  boat  and 
land,  which  had  been  promptly  conceived  when  he  found 
that  his  first  aim  had  failed,  was  as  suddenly  abandoned, 
arid  he  gave  the  command  to  board  fore-tack  ;"  immediate 
ly  after,  his  call  was  to  "  pack  on  the  brig,"  and  not  with 
out  a  little  tremour  in  his  voice,  as  soon  as  he  perceived 
that  the  figure  had  vanished.  The  crew  was  not  slow  to 
obey  these  orders,  and  in  ten  minutes,  the  Swash  was  a 
mile  from  the  light,  standing  to  the  northward  and  eastward, 
under  a  press  of  canvas,  and  with  a  freshening  breeze 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  115 

To  return  to  the  islets.  Harry,  from  the  first,  had  seen 
that  everything  depended  on  his  remaining  motionless.  As 
the  people  of  the  brig  were  partly  in  shadow,  he  could  not, 
and  did  not,  fully  understand  how  completely  he  was  him 
self  exposed,  in  consequence  of  the  brightness  of  all  around 
him,  and  he  had  at  first  hoped  to  be  mistaken  for  some  ac 
cidental  resemblance  to  a  man.  His  nerves  were  well 
tried  by  the  use  of  the  fowling-piece,  but  they  proved  equal 
to  the  necessities  of  the  occasion.  But,  when  an  answer 
ing  report  came  from  the  rear,  or  from  the  opposite  side  of 
the  islet,  he  darted  round  the  tower,  as  much  taken  by  sur 
prise,  and  overcome  by  wonder,  as  any  one  else  who  heard 
it.  It  was  this  rapid  movement  which  caused  his  flight  to 
be  unnoticed,  all  the  men  of  the  brig  dodging  below  their 
own  bulwarks  at  that  precise  instant. 

As  the  light-house  was  now  between  the  mate  and  the 
brig,  he  had  no  longer  any  motive  for  trying  to  conceal 
himself.  His  first  thought,  was  of  Rose,  and,  strange  as  it 
may  seem,  for  some  little  time  he  fancied  that  she  had 
found  a  musket  in  the  dwelling,  and  discharged  it,  in  order 
to  aid  his  escape.  The  events  had  passed  so  swiftly,  that 
there  was  no  time  for  the  cool  consideration  of  anything, 
and  it  is  not  surprising  that  some  extravagances  mingled 
with  the  first  surmises  of  all  these. 

On  reaching  the  door  of  the  house,  therefore,  Harry  was 
by  no  means  surprised  at  seeing  Rose  standing  in  it,  gazing 
at  the  swiftly  receding  brigantine.  He  even  looked  for  the 
musket,  expecting  to  see  it  lying  at  her  feet,  or  leaning 
against  the  wall  of  the  building.  Rose,  however,  was  en 
tirely  unarmed,  and  as  dependent  on  him  for  support,  as 
when  he  had  parted  from  her,  an  hour  or  two  before. 

"  Where  did  you  find  that  musket,  Rose,  and  what  have 
you  done  with  it?"  inquired  Harry,  as  soon  as  he  had 
looked  in  every  place  he  thought  likely  to  hold  such  an 
implement. 

"Musket,  Harry!  I  have  had  no  musket,  though  the 
report  of  fire-arms,  near  by,  awoke  me  from  a  sweet  sleep." 

"Is  this  possible!  I  had  imprudently  trusted  myself  on 
the  other  side  of  the  light-house,  while  the  moon  was  be 
hind  clouds,  arid  when  they  broke  suddenly  away,  its  light 
betrayed  me  to  those  on  board  the  brig.  Spike  fired  at  me 


116  JACK  TIER; 

twice,  without  injuring  me;  when,  to  ray  astonishment,  an 
answering  report  was  heard  from  thej&let.  What  is  more, 
the  piece  was  charged  with  a  ball-cartridge,  for  I  heard  the 
whistling  of  the  bullet  as  it  passed  on  its  way  to  the  brig." 

"  And  you  supposed  I  had  fired  that  musket?" 

"Whom  else  could  I  suppose  had  done  it?  You  are 
riot  a  very  likely  person  to  do  such  a  thing,  I  will  own,  my 
love ;  but  there  are  none  but  us  two  here." 

"  It  must  be  Jack  Tier,"  exclaimed  Rose  suddenly. 

"  That  is  impossible,  since  he  has  left  us." 

"  One  never  knows.  Jack  understood  how  anxious  I 
was  to  retain  him  with  us,  and  he  is  so  capricious  and  full 
of  schemes,  that  he  may  have  contrived  to  get  out  of  the 
brig,  as  artfully  as  he  got  on  board  her." 

"If  Jack  Tier  be  actually  on  this  islet,  I  shall  set  him 
down  as  little  else  than  a  conjuror." 

"Hist!"  interrupted  Rose,  "what  noise  is  that  in  the 
direction  of  the  wharf?  It  sounds  like  an  oar  falling  in  a 
boat." 

Mulford  heard  that  well-known  sound,  as  well  as  his 
companion,  and,  followed  by  Rose,  he  passed  swiftly 
through  the  house,  coming  out  at  the  front,  next  the  wharf. 
The  moon  was  still  shining  bright,  and  the  mystery  of  the 
echoing  report,  and  answering  shot,  was  immediately  ex 
plained.  A  large  boat,  one  that  pulled  ten  oars,  at  least, 
was  just  corning  up  to  the  end  of  the  wharf,  and  the  man 
ner  in  which  its  oars  were  unshipped  and  tossed,  announced 
to  the  male  that  the  crew  were  man-of-war's  men.  He 
walked  hastily  forward  to  meet  them. 

Three  officers  first  left  the  boat  together.  The  gold 
bands  of  their  caps  showed  that  they  belonged  to  the  quar 
ter-deck,  a  fact  that  the  light  of  the  moon  made  apparent 
at  once,  though  it  was  not  strong  enough  to  render  features 
distinct.  As  Mulford  continued  to  advance,  however,  the 
three  officers  saluted  him. 

"  I  see  you  have  got  the  light  under  way  once  more," 
observed  the  leader  of  the  party.  "  Last  night  it  was  as 
dark  as  Erebus  in  your  lantern." 

"  The  light-house  keeper  and  his  assistant  have  both 
been  drowned,"  answered  Mulford.  "  The  lamps  have 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  117 

been  lit  to-night  by  the  people  of  the  brig  which  has  just 
gone  out." 

"  Pray,  sir,  what  brig  may  that  be  ?" 

"The  Molly  Swash,  of  New  York;  a  craft  that  I  lately 
belonged  to  myself,  but  which  I  have  left  on  account  of  her 
evil  doings." 

"  The  Molly  Swash,  Stephen  Spike  master  and  owner, 
bound  to  Key  West  and  a  market,  with  a  cargo  of  eight 
hundred  barrels  of  flour,  and  that  of  a  quality  so  lively  and 
pungent  that  it  explodes  like  gunpowder !  I  beg  your  par 
don,  Mr.  Mate,  for  not  recognising  you  sooner.  Have  you 
forgotten  the  Poughkeepsie,  Captain  Mull,  and  her  far- 
reaching  Paixhans?" 

"  I  ought  to  ask  your  pardon,  Mr.  Wallace,  for  not  re 
cognising  you  sooner,  too.  But  one  does  not  distinguish 
well  by  moonlight.  I  am  delighted  to  see  you,  sir,  and 
now  hope  that,  with  rny  assistance,  a  stop  can  be  put  to 
the  career  of  the  brig." 

"What,  Mr.  Mate,  do  you  turn  against  your  craft?" 
said  Wallace,  under  the  impulsive  feeling  which  induces 
all  loyal  men  to  have  a  distaste  for  treachery  of  every  sort, 
"  the  seaman  should  love  the  very  planks  of  his  vessel." 

"  I  fully  understand  you,  Mr.  Wallace,  and  will  own 
that,  for  a  long  time,  I  was  tied  to  rascality  by  the  opinions 
to  which  you  allude.  But,  when  you  come  to  hear  my  ex 
planation,  I  do  not  fear  your  judgment  in  the  least." 

Mulford  now  led  the  way  into  the  house,  whither  Rose 
had  already  retreated,  and  where  she  had  lighted  candles, 
and  made  other  womanly  arrangements  for  receiving  her 
guests.  At  Harry's  suggestion,  some  of  the  soup  was 
placed  over  coals,  to  warm  up  for  the  party,  and  our  hero 
ine  made  her  preparations  to  comfort  them  also  with  a  cup 
of  tea.  While  she  was  thus  employed,  Mulford  gave  the 
whole  history  of  his  connection  with  the  brig,  his  indispo 
sition  to  quit  the  latter,  the  full  exposure  of  Spike's  treason, 
his  own  desertion,  if  desertion  it  could  be  called,  the  loss 
of  the  schooner,  and  his  abandonment  on  the  rock,  and  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  been  finally  relieved.  It  was 
scarcely  possible  to  relate  all  these  matters,  and  altogether 
avoid  allusions  to  the  schemes  of  Spike  in  connection  with 
Rose,  and  the  relation  in  which  our  young  man  himself 


118  JACK   TIER; 

stood  toward  her.  Although  Mulford  touched  on  these 
points  with  great  delicacy,  it  was  as  a  seaman  talking  to 
seamen,  and  he  could  riot  entirely  throw  aside  the  frank 
ness  of  the  profession.  Ashore,  men  live  in  the  privacy  of 
their  own  domestic  circles,  and  their  secrets,  and  secret 
thoughts,  are  "  family  secrets,"  of  which  it  has  passed  into 
a  proverb  to  say,  that  there  are  always  some,  even  in  the 
best  of  these  communities.  On  shipboard,  or  in  the  camp, 
it  is  very  different.  The  close  contact  in  which  men  are 
brought  with  each  other,  the  necessity  that  exists  for  open 
ing  the  heart  and  expanding  the  charities,  gets  in  time  to 
influence  the  whole  character,  and  a  certain  degree  of 
frankness  and  simplicity,  takes  the  place  of  the  reserve  and 
acting  that  might  have  been  quickened  in  the  same  indivi 
dual,  under  a  different  system  of  schooling.  But  Mulford 
was  frank  by  nature,  as  well  as  by  his  sea-education,  and 
his  companions  on  this  occasion  were  pretty  well  possessed 
of  all  his  wishes  cfhd  plans,  in  reference  to  Rose,  even  to 
his  hope  of  falling  in  with  the  chaplain  of  the  Poughkeep- 
sie,  by  the  time  his  story  was  all  told.  The  fact  that  Rose 
was  occupied  in  another  room,  most  of  the  time,  had  made 
these  explanations  all  the  easier,  and  spared  her  many  a 
blush.  As  for  the  man-of-war's  men,  they  listened  to  the 
tale,  with  manly  interest  and  a  generous  sympathy. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  your  explanation,  Mr.  Mate,"  said 
Wallace,  cordially,  as  soon  as  Harry  had  done,  "  and 
there's  my  hand,  in  proof  that  I  approve  of  your  course.  I 
own  to  a  radical  dislike  of  a  turncoat,  or  a  traitor  to  his 
craft,  Brother  Hollins" — looking  at  the  elder  of  his  two 
companions,  one  of  whom  w"as  the  midshipman  who  had 
originally  accompanied  him  on  board  the  Swash — "  and  am 
glad  to  find  that  our  friend  Mulford  here  is  neither.  A 
true-hearted  sailor  can  be  excused  for  deserting  even  his 
own  ship,  under  such  circumstances." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  even  this  little  concession  from  you, 
Wallace,"  answered  Hollins,  good-naturedly,  and  speaking 
with  a  mild  expression  of  benevolence,  on  a  very  calm  and 
thoughtful  countenance.  "  Your  rness  is  a.s  heteredox  as 
any  I  ever  sailed  with,  on  the  subject  of  our  duties,  in  this 
respect." 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  119 

"  I  hold  it  to  be  a  sailor's  duty  to  stick  by  his  ship,  reve 
rend  and  dear  sir." 

This  mode  of  address,  which  was  used  by  the  "ship's 
gentleman"  in  the  cant  of  the  ward-room,  as  a  pleasantry  of 
an  old  shipmate,  for  the  two  had  long  sailed  together  in 
other  vessels,  at  once  announced  to  Harry  that  he  saw  the 
very  chaplain  for  whose  presence  he  had  been  so  anxiously 
wishing.  The  "  reverend  and  dear  sir'5  smiled  at  the  sally 
of  his  friend,  a  sort  of  thing  to  which  he  was  very  well  ac 
customed,  but  he  answered  with  a  gravity  and  point  that, 
it  is  to  be  presumed,  he  thought  befitting  his  holy  office. 

It  may  be  well  to  remark  here,  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hollins 
was  not  one  of  the  "launch'd  chaplains,"  that  used  to  do 
discredit  to  the  navy  of  this  country,  or  a  layman  dubbed 
with  such  a  title,  and  rated  that  he  might  get  the  pay  and 
become  a  boon  companion  of  the  captain,  at  the  table  and 
in  his  frolics  ashore.  Those  days  are  gone  by,  and  min 
isters  of  the  gospel  are  now  really  employee}  to  care  for  the 
souls  of  the  poor  sailors,  who  so  long  have  been  treated  by 
others,  and  have  treated  themselves,  indeed,  as  if  they  were 
beings  without  souls,  altogether.  In  these  particulars,  the 
world  has  certainly  advanced,  though  the  wise  and  the 
good,  in  looking  around  them,  may  feel  more  cause  for  as 
tonishment  in  contemplating  what  it  once  was,  than  to  re 
joice  in  what  it  actually  is.  But  intellect  has  certainly 
improved  in  the  aggregate,  if  not  in  its  especial  dispensa 
tions,  and  men  will  not  now  submit  to  abuses  that,  within 
the  recollections  of  a  generation,  they  even  cherished.  In 
reference  to  the  more  intellectual  appointments  of  a  ship 
of  war,  the  commander  excepted,  for  we  contend  he  who 
directs  all,  ought  to  possess  the  most  capacity,  but,  in  re 
ference  to  what  are  ordinarily  believed  to  be  the  more  in 
tellectual  appointments  of  a  vessel  of  war,  the  surgeon  and 
the  chaplain,  we  well  recollect  opinions  that  were  expressed 
to  us,  many  years  since,  by  two  officers  of  the  highest  rank 
known  to  the  service.  "When  I  first  entered  the  navy," 
said  one  of  these  old  Benbows,  "  if  I  had  occasion  for  the 
amputation  of  a  leg,  and  the  question  lay  between  the  car 
penter  and  the  doctor,  d -e,  but  I  would  have  tried  the 

carpenter  first,  for  I  felt  pretty  certain  he  wrould  have  been 
the  most  likely  to  get  through  with  the  job."  '-'In  oM 


120  JACK    TIER; 

times,"  said  the  other,"  when  a  chaplain  joined  a  ship,  the 
question  immediately  arose,  whether  the  mess  were  to  con 
vert  the  chaplain,  or  the  chaplain  the  mess;  and  the  mesa 
generally  got  the  best  of  it."  There  was  very  little  exag 
geration  in  either  of  these  opinions.  But,  happily,  all  this 
is  changed  vastly  for  the  better,  and  a  navy-surgeon  is  ne 
cessarily  a  man  of  education  and  experience;  in  very  many 
instances,  men  of  high  talents  are  to  be  found  among  them  ; 
while  chaplains  can  do  something  better  than  play  at  back 
gammon,  eat  terrapins,  when  in  what  may  be  called  terra 
pin-ports,  and  drink  brandy  and  water,  or  pure  Bob  Smith.* 

"  It  is  a  great  mistake,  Wallace,  to  fancy  that  the  high 
est  duty  a  man  owes,  is  either  to  his  ship  or  to  his  coun 
try,"  observed  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hollins,  quietly.  "  The  highest 
duty  of  each  and  all  of  us,  is  to  God ;  and  whatever  con 
flicts  with  that  duty,  must  be  avoided  as  a  transgression  of 
his  laws,  and  consequently  as  sin." 

"  You  surprise  me,  reverend  and  dear  sir !  I  do  not  re 
member  ever  to  have  heard  you  broach  such  opinions  be 
fore,  which  might  be  interpreted  to  mean  that  a  fellow 
might  be  disloyal  to  his  flag." 

"  Because  the  opinion  might  be  liable  to  misinterpreta 
tion.  Still,  I  do  not  go  as  far  as  many  of  my  friends  on 
this  subject.  If  Decatur  ever  really  said,  '  Our  country, 
right  or  wrong,'  he  said  what  might  be  just  enough,  and 
creditable  enough,  in  certain  cases,  and  taken  with  the  fair 
limitations  that  he  probably  intended  should  accompany 
the  sentiment;  but,  if  he  meant  it  as  an  absolute  and  con 
trolling  principle,  it  was  not  possible  to  be  more  in  error. 
In  this  last  sense,  such  a  rule  of  conduct  might,  and  in  old 
times  often  would,  have  justified  idolatry;  nay,  it  is  a  spe 
cies  of  idolatry  in  itself,  since  it  is  putting  country  before 
God.  Sailors  may  not  always  be  able  to  make  the  just  dis 
tinctions  in  these  cases,  but  the  quarter-deck  should  be  so, 
z'rreverend  and  dear  sir." 

Wallace  laughed,  and  then  he  turned  the  discourse  to 
the  subject  more  properly  before  them. 

"I  understand  you  to  say,  Mr.  Mulford,"  he  remarked, 

*  In  the  palmy  days  of  the  service,  when  Robert  Smith  was  so 
long  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  the  ship's  whisky  went  by  this  fami 
liar  sobriquet. 


OK,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  121 

"  that,  in  your  opinion,  the  Swash  has  gone  to  try  to  raise 
the  unfortunate  Mexican  schooner,  a  second  time,  from  the 
depths  of  the  ocean?" 

"  From  the  rock  on  which  she  lies.  Under  the  circum 
stances,  I  hardly  think  he  would  have  come  hither  for  the 
chain  and  cable,  unless  with  some  such  object.  We  know, 
moreover,  thut  such  was  his  intention  when  we  left  the 
brig." 

"  And  you  can  take  us  to  the  very  spot  where  that  wreck 
lies?" 

"  Without  any  difficulty.  Her  masts  are  partly  out  of 
water,  and  we  hung  on  to  them,  in  our  boat,  no  later  than 
last  night,  or  this  morning  rather." 

"  So  far,  well.  Your  conduct  in  all  this  affair  will  be 
duly  appreciated,  and  Captain  Mull  will  not  fail  to  repre 
sent  it  in  a  right  point  of  view  to  the  government." 

"  Where  is  the  ship,  sir?  I  looked  for  her  most  anxious 
ly,  without  success,  last  evening;  nor  had  Jack  Tier,  the 
little  fellow  I  have  named  to  you,  any  better  luck;  though 
[  sent  him  aloft,  as  high  as  the  lantern  in  the  light-house, 
for  that  purpose." 

"  The  ship  is  off  here  to  the  northward  and  westward, 
some  six  leagues  or  so.  At  sunset  she  may  have  been  a 
little  farther.  We  have  supposed  that  the  Swash  would  be 
coming  back  hither,  and  had  laid  a  trap  for  her,  which 
came  very  near  taking  her  alive." 

"  What  is  the  trap  you  mean,  sir — though  taking  Ste 
phen  Spike  alive,  is  sooner  said  than  done." 

"  Our  plan  has  been  to  catch  him  with  our  boats.  With 
the  greater  draft  of  water  of  the  Poughkeepsie,  and  the 
heels  of  your  brig,  sir,  a  regular  chase  about  these  reefs,  as 
we  knew  from  experience,  would  be  almost  hopeless.  It 
v/as,  therefore,  necessary  to  use  head-work,  and  some  man- 
of-war  traverses,  in  order  to  lay  hold  of  him.  Yesterday 
afternoon  we  hoisted  out  three  cutters,  manned  them,  and 
made  sail  in  them  all,  under  our  luggs,  working  up  against 
the  trades.  Each  boat  took  its  own  course,  one  going  off 
the  west  end  of  the  reef,  one  going  more  to  the  eastward, 
while  I  came  this  way,  to  look  in  at  the  Dry  Tortugas. 
Spike  will  be  lucky  if  he  do  not  fall  in  with  our  third  cut 
ter,  which  is  under  the  fourth  lieutenant,  should  he  stand 

VOL.  II.  — 11 


122  JACK    TIER; 

on  far  on  the  same  tack  as  that  on  which  he  left  this  place. 
Let  him  try  his  fortune,  however.  As  for  our  boat,  as  soon 
as  I  saw  the  lamps  burning  in  the  lantern,  I  made  the  best 
of  my  way  hither,  and  got  sight  of  the  brig,  just  as  she 
loosened  her  sails.  Then  I  took  i^  my  own  luggs,  and 
came  on  with  the  oars.  Had  we  continued  under  our  can 
vas,  with  this  breeze,  I  almost  think  we  might  have  over 
hauled  the  rascal." 

"  It  would  have  been  impossible,  sir.  The  moment  he 
got  a  sight  of  your  sails,  he  would  have  been  off  in  a  con 
trary  direction,  and  that  brig  really  seems  to  fly,  whenever 
there  is  a  pressing  occasion  for  her  to  move.  You  did  the 
wisest  thing  you  could  have  done,  and  barely  missed  him, 
as  it  was.  He  has  not  seen  you  at  all,  as  it  is,  and  will  be 
all  the  less  on  his  guard,  against  the  next  visit  from  the 
ship." 

"  Not  seen  me  !  Why,  sir,  the  fellow  fired  at  us  twice 
with  a  musket ;  why  he  did  not  use  a  carronade,  is  more 
than  I  can  tell." 

"Excuse  me,  Mr.  Wallace;  those  two  shots  were  in 
tended  for  me,  though  I  now  fully  comprehend  why  you 
answered  them." 

"  Answered  them  !  yes,  indeed  ;  who  would  not  answer 
such  a  salute,  and  gun  for  gun,  if  he  had  a  chance.  I  cer 
tainly  thought  he  was  firing  at  us,  and  having  a  musket 
between  my  legs,  I  let  fly  in  return,  and  even  the  chaplain 
here  will  allow  that  was  returning  '  good  for  evil.'  But 
explain  your  meaning." 

Mulford  now  went  into  the  details  of  the  incidents  con 
nected  with  his  coming  into  the  moon-light,  at  the  foot  of 
the  light-house.  That  he  was  not  mistaken  as  to  the  party 
for  whom  the  shots  were  intended,  was  plain  enough  to  him, 
from  the  words  that  passed  aloud  among  the  people  of  the 
Swash,  as  well  as  from  the  circumstance  that  both  balls 
struck  the  stones  of  the  tower  quite  near  him.  This  state 
ment  explained  everything  to  Wallace,  who  now  fully  com 
prehended  the  cause  and  motive  of  each  incident. 

It  was  now  near  eleven,  and  Rose  had  prepared  the  table 
for  supper.  The  gentlemen  of  the  Poughkeepsie  manifest 
ed  great  interest  in  the  movements  of  the  Hebe-like  little 
attendant  who  was  caring  for  their  wants.  When  the  cloth 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  123 

was  to  be  laid,  the  midshipman  offered  his  assistance,  but 
his  superior  directed  him  to  send  a  hand  or  two  up  from 
the  wharf,  where  the  crew  of  the  cutter  were  lounging  or 
sleeping  after  their  cruise.  These  men  had  been  thought 
of,  too ;  and  a  vessel  filled  with  smoking  soup  was  taken  to 
them,  by  one  of  their  own  number. 

The  supper  was  as  cheerful  as  it  was  excellent.  The 
dry  humour  of  Wallace,  the  mild  intelligence  of  the  chap 
lain,  the  good  sense  of  Harry,  and  the  spirited  information 
of  Rose,  contributed,  each  in  its  particular  way,  to  make 
the  meal  memorable  in  more  senses  than  one.  The  laugh 
came  easily  at  that  table,  and  it  was  twelve  o'clock,  before 
the  party  thought  of  breaking  up. 

The  dispositions  for  the  night  were  soon  made.  Rose 
returned  to  her  little  room,  where  she  could  now  sleep  in 
comfort,  and  without  apprehension.  The  gentlemen  made 
the  disposition  of  their  persons,  that  circumstances  allow 
ed  ;  each  finding  something  on  which  to  repose,  that  was 
preferable  to  a  plank.  As  for  the  men,  they  were  accus 
tomed  to  hard  fare,  and  enjoyed  their  present  good-luck,  to 
the  top  of  their  bent.  It  was  quite  late,  before  they  had 
done  "  spinning  their  yarns,"  and  "  cracking  their  jokes," 
around  the  pot  of  turtle-soup,  and  the  can  of  grog  that 
succeeded  it.  By  half-past  twelve,  however,  everybody 
was  asleep. 

Mulford  was  the  first  person  afoot  the  following  morning. 
He  left  the  house  just  as  the  sun  rose,  and  perceiving  that 
the  "  coast  was  clear"  of  sharks,  he  threw  off  his  light  at 
tire,  and  plunged  into  the  sea.  Refreshed  with  this  indul 
gence,  he  was  returning  toward  the  building,  when  he  met 
the  chaplain  coming  in  quest  of  him.  This  gentleman,  a 
man  of  real  piety,  and  of  great  discretion,  had  been  singu 
larly  struck,  on  the  preceding  night,  with  the  narrative  of 
our  young  mate ;  and  he  had  not  failed  to  note  the  allu 
sions,  slight  as  they  were,  and  delicately  put  as  they  had 
been;  to  himself.  He  saw,  at  once,  the  propriety  of  mar 
rying  a  couple  so  situated,  and  now  sought  Harry,  with  a 
view  to  bring  about  so  desirable  an  event,  by  intimating  his 
entire  willingness  to  officiate.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
say  that  very  few  words  were  wanting,  to  persuade  the 
young  man  to  fall  into  his  views ;  and  as  to  Rose,  he  had 


124  JACK  TIER; 

handed  her  a  short  note  on  the  same  subject,  which  he  was 
of  opinion,  would  be  likely  to  bring  her  to  the  same  way 
of  thinking. 

An  hour  later,  all  the  officers,  Harry  and  Rose,  were  as» 
sembled  in  what  might  be  termed  the  light-house  parlour. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Hollins  had  neither  band,  gown,  nor  sur 
plice;  but  he  had  what  was  far  better,  feeling  and  piety, 
Without  a  prayer-book  he  never  moved ;  and  he  read  the 
marriage  ceremony  with  a  solemnity  that  was  communi 
cated  to  all  present.  The  ring  was  that  which  had  been 
used  at  the  marriage  of  Rose's  parents,  and  which  she  wore 
habitually,  though  not  on  the  left  hand.  In  a  word,  Harry 
and  Rose  were  as  firmly  and  legally  united,  on  that  solitary 
and  almost  unknown  islet,  as  could  have  been  the  case, 
had  they  stood  up  before  the  altar  of  mother  Trinity  itself, 
with  a  bishop  to  officiate,  and  a  legion  of  attendants.  After 
the  compliments  which  succeeded  the  ceremony,  the  whole 
party  sat  down  to  breakfast. 

If  the  supper  had  bee"n  agreeable,  the  morning  meal  was 
not  less  so.  Rose  was  timid  and  blushing,  as  became  a 
bride,  though  she  could  not  but  feel  how  much  more  re 
spectable  her  position  became  under  the  protection  of  Harry 
as  his  wife,  than  it  had  been  while  she  was  only  his  be 
trothed.  The  most  delicate  deportment,  on  the  part  of  her 
companions,  soon  relieved  her  embarrassment  however,  and 
the  breakfast  passed  off  without  cause  for  an  unhappy  mo 
ment. 

"The  ship's  standing  in  toward  the  light,  sir,"  reported 
the  cockswain  of  the  cutter,  as  the  party  was  still  lingering 
around  the  table,  as  if  unwilling  to  bring  so  pleasant  a  meal 
to  a  close.  "  Since  the  mist  has  broke  away,  we  see  her, 
sir,  even  to  her  ports  and  dead-eyes." 

"In  that  case,  Sam,  she  can't  be  very  far  off,"  answered 
Wallace.  "  Ay,  there  goes  a  gun  from  her,  at  this  mo 
ment,  as  much  as  to  say,  '  what  has  become  of  all  of  my 
boats?'  Run  down  and  let  off  a  musket;  perhaps  she  will 
make  out  to  hear  that,  as  we  must  be  rather  to  windward, 
if  anything." 

The  signal  was  given  and  understood.  A  quarter  of  an 
hour  later,  the  Poughkeepsie  began  to  shorten  sail.  Then. 
Wallace  stationed  himself  in  the  cutter,  in  the  centre  of 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  125 

one  of  the  passages,  signalling  the  ship  to  come  on.  Ten 
minutes  later  stijl,  the  noble  craft  came  into  the  haven, 
passing  the  still  burning  light,  with  her  topsails  just  lifting, 
and  making  a  graceful  sweep  under  very  reduced  sail,  she 
came  to  the  wind,  very  near  the  spot  where  the  Swash  had 
lain  only  ten  hours  before,  and  dropped  an  anchor. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  gull  has  found  her  place  on  shore  ; 

The  sun  gone  down  again  to  rest; 
And  all  is  still  but  ocean's  roar  ; 

There  stands  the  man  uribiess'd. 
But  see,  he  moves — he  turns,  as  asking  where 
His  mates'?  Why  looks  he  with  that  piteous  stare  ? 

DANA. 

SUPERSTITION  would  seem  to  be  a  consequence  of  a  state 
of  being,  in  which  so  m^ich  is  shadowed  forth,  while  so  lit 
tle  is  accurately  known.  Our  far-reaching  thoughts  range 
over  the  vast  fields  of  created  things,  without  penetrating 
to  the  secret  cause  of  the  existence  of  even  a  blade  of  grass. 
We  can  analyze  all  substances  that  are  brought  into  our 
crucibles,  tell  their  combinations  and  tendencies,  give  a 
scientific  history  of  their  formation,  so  far  as  it  is  connect 
ed  with  secondary  facts,  their  properties,  and  their  uses ; 
but  in  each  and  all,  there  is  a  latent  natural  cause,  that 
baffles  all  our  inquiries,  and  tells  us  that  we  are  merely 
men.  This  is  just  as  true  in  morals,  as  in  physics — no 
man  living  being  equal  to  attaining  the  very  faith  that  is 
necessary  to  his  salvation,  without  the  special  aid  of  the 
spirit  of  the  godhead;  and  even  with  that  mighty  support, 
trusting  implicitly  for  all  that  is  conne-cted  with  a  future 
that  we  are  taught  to  believe  is  eternal,  to  "  the  substance 
of  things  hoped  for,  and  the  evidence  of  things  unseen'' 
In  a  word,  this  earthly  probation  of  ours,  was  intended  for 
finite  beings,  in  the  sense  of  our  present  existence,  leaving 
far  more  to  be  conjectured,  than  is  understood. 


126  JACK   TIER; 

Ignorance  and  superstition  ever  bear  a  close,  and  even 
a  mathematical  relation  to  each  other.  The  degrees  of  the 
one,  are  regulated  by  the  degrees  of  the  other.  He  who 
knows  the  least  believes  the  most;  while  he  who  has  seen 
the  most,  without  the  intelligence  to  comprehend  that 
which  he  has  seen,  feels,  perhaps,  the  strongest  inclination 
to  refer  those  things  which  to  him  are  mysteries,  to  the  su 
pernatural  and  marvellous.  Sailors  have  been,  from  time 
immemorial,  more  disposed  than  men  of  their  class  on  the 
land,  to  indulge  in  this  weakness,  which  is  probably  height 
ened  by  the  circumstance  of  their  living  constantly  and 
vividly  in  the  presence  of  powers  that  menace  equally  their 
lives  and  their  means,  without  being  in  any  manner  subject 
to  their  control. 

Spike,  for  a  seaman  of  his  degree  of  education,  was  not 
particularly  addicted  to  the  weakness  to  which  we  have 
just  alluded.  Nevertheless,  he  was  not  altogether  free  from 
it;  and  recent  circumstances  contributed  to  dispose  him  so 
much  the  more  to  admit  a  feeling  which,  like  sin  itself,  is 
ever  the  most  apt  to  insinuate  itself  at  moments  of  extraor 
dinary  moral  imbecility,  and  through  the  openings  left  by 
previous  transgression.  As  his  brig  stood  off  from  the 
light,  the  captain  paced  the  deck,  greatly  disturbed  by  what 
had  just  passed,  arid  unable  to  account  for  it.  The  boat 
of  the  Poughkeepsie  was  entirely  concealed  by  the  islet, 
and  there  existing  no  obvious  motive  for  wishing  to  return, 
in  order  to  come  at  the  truth,  not  a  thought  to  that  effect, 
for  one  moment,  crossed  the  mind  of  the  smuggler.  So  far 
from  this,  indeed,  were  his  wishes,  that  the  Molly  did  not 
seem  to  him  to  go  half  as  fast  as  usual,  in  his  keen  desire 
to  get  further  and  further  from  a  spot  where  such  strange 
incidents  had  occurred. 

As  for  the  men  forward,  no  argument  was  wanting  to 
make  them  believe  that  something  supernatural  had  just 
passed  before  their  eyes.  It  was  known  to  them  all,  that 
Mulford  had  been  left  on  a  naked  rock,  some  thirty  miles 
from  that  spot;  and  it  was  not  easy  to  understand  how  he 
could  now  be  at  the  Dry  Tortugas,  planted,  as  it  might  be, 
on  purpose  to  show  himself  to  the  brig,  against  the  tower, 
in  the  bright  moonlight,  "  like  a  pictur'  hung  up  for  his 
old  shipmates  to  look  at." 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  127 

Sombre  were  the  tales  that  were  related  that  night 
among  them,  many  of  which  related  to  the  sufferings  of 
men  abandoned  on  desert  islands;  and  all  of  which  border 
ed,  more  or  less,  on  the  supernatural.  The  crew  connect 
ed  the  disappearance  of  the  boat  with  Mulford's  apparition, 
though  the  logical  inference  would  have  been,  that  the 
body  which  required  planks  to  transport  it,  could  scarcely 
be  classed  with  anything  of  the  world  of  spirits.  The  links 
in  arguments,  however,  are  seldom  respected  by  the  illite 
rate  and  vulgar,  who  jump  to  their  conclusions,  in  cases  of 
the  marvellous,  much  as  politicians  find  an  expression  of 
the  common  mind  in  the  prepared  opinions  of  the  few  who 
speak  for  them,  totally  disregarding  the  dissenting  silence 
of  the  million.  While  the  men  were  first  comparing  their 
opinions  on  that  which,  to  them,  seemed  to  be  so  extraor 
dinary,  the  Senor  Montefalderon  joined  the  captain  in  his 
walk,  and  dropped  into  a  discourse  touching  the  events 
which  had  attended  their  departure  from  the  haven  of  the 
Dry  Tortugas.  In  this  conversation,  Don  Juan  most  ad 
mirably  preserved  his  countenance,  as  well  as  his  self-com 
mand,  effectually  preventing  the  suspicion  of  any  know 
ledge  on  his  part,  that  was  not  common  to  them  both. 

"  You  did  leave  the  port  with  the  salutes  observed,"  the 
Mexican  commenced,  with  the  slightest  accent  of  a  foreign 
er,  or  just  enough  to  show  that  he  was  not  speaking  in  his 
mother  tongue ;  "  salutes  paid  and  returned." 

"Do  you  call  that  saluting,  Don  Wan?  To  me,  that 
infernal  shot  sounded  more  like  an  echo,  than  anything 
else." 

"  And  to  what  do  you  ascribe  it,  Don  Esteban  ?" 

"  I  wish  I  could  answer  that  question.  Sometimes  I 
begin  to  wish  I  had  not  left  my  mate  on  that  naked  rock." 

"There  is  still  time  to  repair  the  last  wrong;  we  shall 
go  within  a  few  miles  of  the  place  where  the  Senor  En 
rique  was  left;  and  I  can  take  the  yawl,  with  two  men, 
and  go  in  search  of  him,  while  you  are  at  work  on  the 
wreck." 

"  Do  you  believe  it  possible  that  he  can  be  still  there?" 
demanded  Spike,  looking  suddenly  and  intently  at  his  com 
panion,  while  his  mind  was  strangely  agitated  between  ha- 


128  JACK   TIER; 

tred  and  dread.     "  If  he  is  there,  who  and  what  was  lie  that 
we  all  saw  so  plainly  at  the  foot  of  the  light-house?" 

"  How  should  he  have  left  the  rock?  He  was  without 
food  or  water;  and  no  man,  in  all  his  vigour,  could  swim 
this  distance.  I  see  no  means  of  his  getting  here." 

"Unless  some  wrecker,  or  turtler,  fell  in  with  him,  and 
took  him  off.  Ay,  ay,  Don  Wan;  I  left  him  that  much 
of  a  chance,  at  least.  No  man  can  say  I  murdered  my 
mate." 

"  I  am  not  aware,  Don  Esteban,  that  any  one  has  said 
so  hard  a  thing  of  you.  Still,  we  have  seen  neither  wreck 
er  nor  turtler  since  we  have  been  here;  and  that  lessens 
the  excellent  chance  you  left  Don  Enrique." 

"  There  is  no  occasion,  senor,  to  be  so  particular," 
growled  Spike,  a  little  sullenly,  in  reply.  "  The  chance, 
I  say,  was  a  good  one,  when  you  consider  how  many  of 
them  devils  of  wreckers  hang  about  these  reefs.  Let  this 
brig  only  get  fast  on  a  rock,  and  they  would  turn  up,  like 
sharks,  all  around  us,  each  with  his  maw  open  for  salvage. 
But  this  is  neither  here  nor  there  ;  what  puzzles  me,  was 
what  we  saw  at  the  light,  half  an  hour  since,  and  the  mus 
ket  that  was  fired  back  at  us !  I  know  that  the  figure  at  the 
foot  of  the  tower  did  not  fire,  for  my  eye  was  on  him  from 
first  to  last ;  and  he  had  no  arms.  You  were  on  the  island 
a  good  bit,  and  must  have  known  if  the  light-house  keeper 
was  there  or  not,  Don  Wan?" 

"The  light-house  keeper  was  there,  Don  Esteban — but 
he  was  in  his  grave" 

"  Ay,  ay,  one,  I  know,  was  drowned,  and  buried  with 
the  rest  of  them ;  there  might,  however,  have  been  more 
than  one.  You  saw  none  of  the  people  that  had  gone  to 
Key  West,  in  or  about  the  house,  Don  Wan?" 

"  None.  If  any  persons  have  left  the  Tortugas  to  go  to 
Key  West,  within  a  few  days,  not  one  of  them  has  yet  re 
turned." 

"  So  I  supposed.  No,  it  can  be  none  of  them.  Then  I 
.saw  his  face  as  plainly  as  ever  I  saw  it  by  moon-light,  from 
aft,  for'ard.  What  is  your  opinion  about  seeing  the  dead 
walk  on  the  'arth,  Don  Wan  ?" 

"  That  I  have  never  seen  any  such  thing  myself,  Don 
Esteban,  and  consequently  know  nothing  about  it." 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  129 

"  So  I  supposed;  I  find  it  hard  to  believe  it,  I  do.  It 
may  be  a  warning  to  keep  us  from  coming  any  more  to  the 
Dry  Tortugas ;  and  I  must,  say  I  have  little  heart  for  re 
turning  to  this  place,  after  all  that  has  fell  out  here.  We 
can  go  to  the  wreck,  fish  up  the  doubloons,  and  be  off  for 
Yucatan.  Once  in  one  of  your  ports,  I  make  no  question 
that  the  merits  of  the  Molly  will  make  themselves  under 
stood,  and  that  we  shall  soon  agree  on  a  price." 

"  What  use  could  we  put  the  brig  to,  Don  Esteban,  if 
we  had  her  all  ready  for  sea?" 

"  That  is  a  strange  question  to  ask  in  time  of  war  !  Give 
me  such  a  craft  as  the  Molly,  with  sixty  or  eighty  men  on 
board  her,  in  a  war  like  this,  and  her  'arnin's  should  not 
fall  short  of  half  a  million  within  a  twelvemonth." 

"  Could  we  engage  you  to  take  charge  of  her,  Don  Es 
teban  ?" 

"  That  would  be  ticklish  work,  Don  Wan.  But  we  can 
see.  No  one  knows  what  he  will  do  until  he  is  tried.  In 
for  a  penny,  in  for  a  pound.  A  fellow  never  knows!  Ha! 
ha  !  ha !  Don  Wan,  we  live  in  a  strange  world — yes,  in  a 
strange  world." 

"  We  live  in  strange  times,  Don  Esteban,  as  the  situation 
of  my  poor  country  proves.  But  let  us  talk  this  matter 
over  a  little  more  in  confidence." 

And  they  did  thus  discuss  the  subject.  It  was  a  singu 
lar  spectacle  to  see  an  honourable  man,  one  full  of  zeal  of 
the  purest  nature  in  behalf  of  his  own  country,  sounding  a 
traitor  as  to  the  terms  on  which  he  might  be  induced  to  do 
all  the  harm  he  could,  to  those  who  claimed  his  allegiance. 
Such  sights,  however,  are  often  seen ;  our  own  especial 
objects  too  frequently  blinding  us  to  the  obligations  that  we 
owe  morality,  so  far  as  not  to  be  instrumental  in  effecting 
even  what  we-  conceive  to  be  good,  by  questionable  agen 
cies.  But  the  Senor  Montefalderon  kept  in  view,  princi 
pally,  his  desire  to  be  useful  to  Mexico,  blended  a  little  too 
strongly,  perhaps,  with  the  wishes  of  a  man  who  was  born 
near  the  sun,  to  avenge  his  wrongs,  real  or  fancied. 

While  this  dialogue  was  going  on  between  Spike  and 
his  passenger,  as  they  paced  the  quarter-deck,  one  quite  as 
characteristic  occurred  in  the  galley,  within  twenty  feet  of 
them — Simon,  the  cook,  and  Josh,  the  steward,  being  the 


130  JACK   TIER; 

interlocutors.  As  they  talked  secrets,  they  conferred  to 
gether  with  closed  doors,  though  few  were  ever  disposed 
to  encounter  the  smoke,  grease,  and  fumes  of  their  narrow 
domains,  unless  called  thither  by  hunger. 

"  What  you  t'ink  of  dis  matter,  Josh  ?"  demanded  Simon, 
whose  skull  having  the  well-known  density  of  his  race,  did 
not  let  internal  ideas  out,  or  external  ideas  in  as  readily  as 
most  men's.  "  Our  young  mate  was  at  de  light-house  be 
yond  all  controwersy ;  and  how  can  he  be  den  on  dat  rock 
over  yonder,  too?" 

"  Dat  is  imposserbul,"  answered  Josh ;  "  derefore  I  says 
it  isn't  true.  I  surposes  you  know  dat  what  is  imposser 
bul  is  n't  true,  Simon.  Nobody  can't  be  out  yonder  and 
down  here  at  de  same  time.  Dat  is  imposserble,  Simon. 
But  what  I  wants  to  intermate  to  you,  will  explain  all  dis 
difficulty ;  and  it  do  show  de  raal  super'ority  of  a  coloured 
man  over  de  white  poperlation.  Now,  you  mark  my 
words,  cook,  and  be  full  of  admiration !  Jack  Tier  came 
back  along  wid  de  Mexican  gentle'em,  in  my  anchor-watch, 
dis  very  night !  You  see,  in  de  first  place,  ebbery  t'ing 
come  to  pass  in  nigger's  watch." 

Here  the  two  dark-skinned  worthies  haw-haw'd  to  their 
heart's  content;  laughing  very  much  as  a  magistrate  or  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  might  be  fancied  to  laugh,  the  first 
time  he  saw  a  clown  at  a  circus.  The  merriment  of  a  ne 
gro  will  have  its  course,  in  spite  of  ghosts,  or  of  anything 
else ;  and  neither  the  cook  nor  the  steward  dreamed  of  put- 
ing  in  another  syllable,  until  their  laugh  was  fairly  and  duly 
ended.  Then  the  cook  made  his  remarks. 

"  How  Jack  Tier  comiri'  back  explain  der  differculty, 
Josh?"  asked  Simon. 

"  Did  n't  Jack  go  away  wid  Miss  Rose  and  de  mate,  in 
de  boat  dat  got  adrift,  you  know,  in  Jack's  watch  on 
deck?" 

Here  the  negroes  laughed  again,  their  imaginations  hap 
pening  to  picture  to  each,  at  the  same  instant,  the  mystifi 
cation  about  the  boat ;  Biddy  having  told  Josh  in  confi 
dence,  the  manner  in  which  the  party  had  returned  to  the 
brig,  while  he  and  Simon  were  asleep  ;  which  fact  the  stew 
ard  had  already  communicated  to  the  cook.  To  these  two 
beings,  of  an  order  in  nature  different  from  all  around 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  131 

them,  and  of  a  simplicity  and  of  habits  that  scarce  placed 
them  on  a  level  with  the  intelligence  of  the  humblest  white 
man,  all  these  circumstances  had  a  sort  of  mysterious  con 
nection,  out  of  which  peeped  much  the  most  conspicuous 
ly  to  their  faculties,  the  absurdity  of  the  captain's  imagining 
that  a  boat  had  got  adrift,  which  had,  in  truth,  been  taken 
away  by  human  hands.  Accordingly,  they  laughed  it  out  ; 
and  when  they  had  done  laughing,  they  returned  again  to 
the  matter  before  them  with  renewed  interest  in  the  sub 
ject. 

"  Well,  how  all  dat  explain  dis  differculty  ?"  repeated 
Simon. 

"  In  dis  wery  manner,  cook,"  returned  the  steward,  with 
a  little  dignity  in  his  manner.  "  Ebbery  t'ing  depend  on 
understanding  I  s'pose  you  know.  If  Mr.  Mulford  got 
taken  off  dat  rock  by  Miss  Rose  and  Jack  Tier,  wid  de 
boat,  and  den  dey  comes  here  altogedder ;  and  den  Jack 
Tier,  he  get  on  board  and  tell  Biddy  all  dis  matter,  and 
den  Biddy  tell  Josh,  and  den  Josh  tell  de  cook — what  for 
you  surprise,  you  black  debbil,  one  bit?" 

"  Dat  all !"  exclaimed  Simon. 

"  Dat  just  all — dat  ebbery  bit  of  it,  do  n't  I  say." 

Here  Simon  burst  into  such  a  fit  of  loud  laughter,  that 
it  induced  Spike  himself  to  shove  aside  the  galley-door, 
and  thrust  his  own  frowning  visage  into  the  dark  hole  with 
in,  to  inquire  the  cause. 

"What's  the  meaning  of  this  uproar?"  demanded  the 
captain,  all  the  more  excited  because  he  felt  that  things 
had  reached  a  pass  that  would  not  permit  him  to  laugh 
himself.  "  Do  you  fancy  yourself  on  the  Hook,  or  at  the 
Five  Points?" 

The  Hook  and  the  Five  Points  are  two  pieces  of  tabooed 
territory  within  the  limits  of  the  good  town  of  Manhattan, 
that  are  getting  to  be  renowned  for  their  rascality  and  or 
gies.  They  probably  want  nothing  but  the  proclamation 
of  a  governor  in  vindication  of  their  principles,  annexed  to 
a  pardon  of  some  of  their  unfortunate  children,  to  render 
both  classical.  If  we  continue  to  make  much  further  pro 
gress  in  political  logic,  and  in  the  same  direction  as  that 
in  which  we  have  already  proceeded  so  far,  neither  will 
probably  long  be  in  want  of  this  illustration.  Votes  can 


132  JACK  TIER; 

be  given  by  the  virtuous  citizens  of  both  these  purlieus,  as 
well  as  by  the  virtuous  citizens  of  the  anti-rent  districts, 
and  votes  contain  the  essence  of  all  such  principles,  as  well 
as  of  their  glorification. 

"  Do  you  fancy  yourselves  on  the  Hook,  or  at  the  Five 
Points?"  demanded  Spike,  angrily. 

"  Lor',  no  sir  !"  answered  Simon,  laughing  at  each  pause 
with  all  his  heart.  "  Only  laughs  a  little  at  ghost — dat 
all,  sir." 

"  Laugh  at  ghost !  Is  that  a  subject  to  laugh  at  ?  Have 
a  care,  you  black  rascal,  or  he  will  visit  you  in  your  galley 
here,  when  you  will  least  want  to  see  him/' 

"  No  care  much  for  him,  sir,"  returned  Simon,  laughing 
away  as  hard  as  ever.  "  Sich  a  ghost  ought  n't  to  skear 
little  baby." 

"  Such  a  ghost  ?  And  what  do  you  know  of  this  ghost 
more  than  any  other?" 

"  Well,  I  seed  him,  Cap'in  Spike;  and  what  a  body  sees, 
he  is  acquainted  wid." 

"  You  saw  an  image  that  looked  as  much  like  Mr.  Mul- 
ford,  my  late  mate,  as  one  timber-head  in  this  brig  is  like 
another." 

"  Yes,  sir,  he  like  enough — must  say  dat — so  wery  like, 
could  n't  see  any  difference." 

As  Simon  concluded  this  remark,  he  burst  out  into  an 
other  fit  of  laughter,  in  which  Josh  joined  him,  heart  and 
soul,  as  it  might  be.  The  uninitiated  reader  is  not  to  ima 
gine  the  laughter  of  those  blacks  to  be  very  noisy,  or  to  be 
raised  on  a  sharp,  high  key.  They  could  make  the  welkin 
ring,  in  sudden  bursts  of  merriment,  on  occasion;  but,  at  a 
time  like  this,  they  rather  caused  their  diversion  to  be  de 
veloped  by  sounds  that  came  from  the  depths  of  their 
chests.  A  gleam  of  suspicion  that  these  blacks  were  ac 
quainted  with  some  fact  that  it  might  be  well  for  him  to 
know,  shot  across  the  mind  of  Spike;  but  he  was  turned 
from  further  inquiry  by  a  remark  of  Don  Juan,  who  inti 
mated  that  the  mirth  of  such  persons  never  had  much 
meaning  to  it,  expressing  at  the  same  time  a  desire  to  pur 
sue  the  more  important  subject  in  which  they  were  engaged. 
Admonishing  the  blacks  to  be  more  guarded  in  their  mani 
festations  of  merriment,  the  captain  closed  the  door  ou 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA    REEF.  133 

them,  and  resumed  his  walk  up  and  down  the  quarter-deck, 
As  soon  as  left  to  themselves,  the  blacks  broke  out  afresh, 
though  in  a  way  so  guarded,  as  to  confine  their  mirth  to 
the  galley. 

"  Cap'in  Spike  t'ink  dat  a  ghost !"  exclaimed  Simon, 
with  contempt. 

"  Guess  if  he  see  raal  ghost,  he  find  'e  difference,"  an 
swered  Josh.  "  One  look  at  raal  sperit  wort*  two  at  dis 
object." 

Simon's  eyes  now  opened  like  two  saucers,  and  they 
gleamed,  by  the  light  of  the  lamp  they  had,  like  dark  balls 
of  condensed  curiosity,  blended  with  awe,  on  his  com 
panion. 

"You  ebber  see  him,  Josh?"  he  asked,  glancing  over 
each  shoulder  hurriedly,  as  it  might  be,  to  make  sure  that 
he  could  not  see  "  him,"  too. 

"  How  you  t'ink  I  get  so  far  down  the  wale  of  life,  Simon, 
and  nebber  see  sich  a  t'ing?  I  seed  t'ree  of  the  crew  of  the 
'  Maria  Sheffington,'  that  was  drowned  by  deir  boat's  cap- 
sizin',  when  we  lay  at  Gibraltar,  jest  as  plain  as  I  see  you 
now.  Then — " 

But  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  Josh's  experiences  in  this 
way,  with  which  he  continued  to  entertain  and  terrify  Si 
mon  for  the  next  half-hour.  This  is  just  the  difference  be 
tween  ignorance  and  knowledge.  While  Spike  himself, 
and  every  man  in  his  brig  who  belonged  forward,  had 
strong  misgivings  as  to  the  earthly  character  of  the  figure 
they  had  seen  at  the  foot  of  the  light-house,  these  negroes 
laughed  at  their  delusion,  because  they  happened  to  be  in 
the  secret  of  Mul ford's  escape  from  the  rock,  and  of  that 
of  his  actual  presence  at  the  Tortugas.  When,  however, 
the  same  superstitious  feeling  was  brought  to  bear  on  cir 
cumstances  that  lay  wit/tout  the  sphere  of  their  exact  infor 
mation,  they  became  just  as  dependent  and  helpless  as  all 
around  them  ;  more  so,  indeed,  inasmuch  as  their  previous 
habits  and  opinions  disposed  them  to  a  more  profound  cre 
dulity. 

It  was  midnight  before  any  of  the  crew  of  the  Swash 

sought  their  rest  that  night.     The  captain  had  to  remind 

them  that  a  day  of  extraordinary  toil  was  before  them,  ere 

he  could  get  one  even  to  quit  the  deck  ;  and  when  they  did 

VOL.  II.  — 12 


134  JACK  TIER; 

go  below,  it  was  to  continue  to  discuss  the  subject  of  what 
they  had  seen  at  the  Dry  Tortugas.  It  appeared  to  be  the 
prevalent  opinion  among  the  people,  that  the  late  event 
foreboded  evil  to  the  Swash,  and  long  as  most  of  these  men 
had  served  in  the  brig,  and  much  as  they  had  become  at 
tached  to  her,  had  she  gone  into  port  that  night,  nearly 
every  man  forward  would  have  run  before  morning.  But 
fatigue  and  wonder,  at  length,  produced  their  effect,  and 
the  vessel  was  silent  as  was  usual  at  that  hour.  Spike  him 
self  lay  down  in  his  clothes,  as  he  had  done  ever  since 
Mulford  had  left  him ;  and  the  brig  continued  to  toss  the 
spray  from  her  bows,  as  she  bore  gallantly  up  against  the 
trades,  working  her  way  to  windward.  The  light  was 
found  to  be  of  great  service,  as  it  indicated  the  position  of 
the  reef,  though  it  gradually  sunk  in  the  western  horizon, 
until  near  morning  it  fell  entirely  below  it. 

At  this  hour  Spike  appeared  on  deck  again,  where,  fdr 
the  first  time  since  their  interview  on  the  morning  of  Har 
ry's  and  Rose's  escape,  he  laid  his  eyes  on  Jack  Tier. 
The  little  dumpling-looking  fellow  was  standing  in  the 
waist,  with  his  arms  folded  sailor-fashion,  as  composedly  as 
if  nothing  had  occurred  to  render  his  meeting  with  the  cap 
tain  any  way  of  a  doubtful  character.  Spike  approached 
near  the  person  of  the  steward,  whom  he  surveyed  from 
head  to  foot,  with  a  sort  of  contemptuous  superiority,  ere 
he  spoke. 

"  So,  Master  Tier,"  at  length  the  captain  commenced, 
"  you  have  deigned  to  turn  out  at  last,  have  you?  I  hope 
the  day's  duty  you've  forgotten,  will  help  to  pay  for  the 
light-house  boat,  that  I  understand  you  've  lost  for  me, 
also." 

"  What  signifies  a  great  clumsy  boat  that  the  brig 
could  n't  hoist  in  nor  tow,"  answered  Jack,  coolly,  turning 
short  round  at  the  same  time,  but  not  condescending  to 
"  uncoil"  his  arms  as  he  did  so,  a  mark  of  indifference  that 
would  probably  have  helped  to  mystify  the  captain,  had  he 
even  actually  suspected  that  anything  was  wrong  beyond 
the  supposed  accident  to  the  boat  in  question.  "If  you 
had  had  the  boat  astarn,  Captain  Spike,  an  order  would 
have  been  given  to  cut  it  adrift  the  first  time  the  brig  made 
sail  on  the  wind." 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA    REEF.  135 

"Nobody  knows,  Jack;  that  boat  would  have  been  very 
useful  to  us  while  at  work  abou*;  the  wreck.  You  never 
even  turned  out  this  morning  to  let  me  know  where  that 
craft  lay,  as  you  promised  to  do,  but  left  us  to  find  it  out 
by  our  wits." 

"  There  was  no  occasion  for  my  tellin'  you  anything 
about  it,  sir,  when  the  mast-heads  was  to  be  seen  above 
water.  As  soon  as  I  heard  that  them  'ere  mast-heads  was 
out  of  water,  I  turned  over  and  went  to  sleep  upon  it.  A 
man  can't  be  on  the  doctor's  list  and  on  duty  at  the  same 
time." 

Spike  looked  hard  at  the  little  steward,  but  he  made  no 
further  allusion  to  his  being  off  duty,  or  to  his  failing  to 
stand  pilot  to  the  brig  as  she  came  through  the  passage  in 
quest  of  the  schooner's  remains.  The  fact  was,  that  he 
had  discovered  the  mast-heads  himself,  just  as  he  was  on 
the  point  of  ordering  Jack  to  be  called,  having  allowed  him 
to  remain  in  his  berth  to  the  last  moment  after  his  watch, 
according  to  a  species  of  implied  faith  that  is  seldom  disre 
garded  among  seamen.  Once  busied  on  the  wreck,  Jack 
was  forgotten,  having  little  to  do  in  common  with  any  one 
on  board,  but  that  which  the  captain  termed  the  "  women's 
mess." 

"  Come  aft,  Jack,"  resumed  Spike,  after  a  considerable 
pause,  during  the  whole  of  which  he  had  stood  regarding 
the  little  steward  as  if  studying  his  person,  and  through 
that  his  character.  "  Come  aft  to  the  trunk ;  I  wish  to 
catechise  you  a  bit." 

"  Catechise !"  repeated  Tier,  in  an  under  tone,  as  he 
followed  the  captain  to  the  place  mentioned.  "It's  along 
time  since  I've  done  anything  at  that!" 

"Ay,  come  hither,"  resumed  Spike,  seating  himself  at 
his  ease  on  the  trunk,  while  Jack  stood  near  by,  his  arms 
still  folded,  and  his  rotund  little  form  as  immovable,  under 
the  plunges  that  the  lively  brig  made  into  the  head-seas 
that  she  was  obliged  to  meet,  as  if  a  timber-head  in  the 
vessel  itself.  "  You  keep  your  sea-legs  well,  Jack,  short 
as  they  are." 

"  No  wonder  for  that,  Captain  Spike  ;  for  the  last  twenty 
years  I've  scarce  parsed  a  twelvemonth  ashore;  and  what 


136  JACK   TIER; 

I  did  before  that,  no  one  can  better  tell  than  yourself,  since 
we  was  ten  good  years  shipmates." 

"  So  you  say,  Jack,  though  I  do  not  remember  you  as 
well  as  you  seem  to  remember  me.  Do  you  not  make  the 
time  too  long?" 

"  Not  a  day,  sir.  Ten  good  and  happy  years  did  we 
sail  together,  Captain  Spike;  and  all  that  time  in  this 
very — " 

"  Hush — h-u-s-h,  man,  hush  !  There  is  no  need  of  tell 
ing  the  Molly's  age  to  everybody.  I  may  wish  to  sell  her 
some  day,  and  then  her  great  experience  will  be  no  recom 
mendation.  You  should  recollect  that  the  Molly  is  a  fe 
male,  and  the  ladies  do  not  like  to  hear  of  their  ages  after 
five-and-twenty." 

Jack  made  no  answer,  but  he  dropped  his  arms  to  their 
natural  position,  seeming  to  wait  the  captain's  communi 
cation,  first  referring  to  his  tobacco-box  and  taking  a  fresh 
quid. 

"  If  you  was  with  me  in  the  brig,  Jack,  at  the  time  you 
mention,"  continued  Spike,  after  another  long  and  thought 
ful  pause,  "you  must  remember  many  little  things  that  I 
do  n't  wish  to  have  known ;  especially  while  Mrs.  Budd 
and  her  handsome  niece  is  aboard  here." 

"  I  understand  you,  Captain  Spike.  The  ladies  shall 
1'arn  no  more  from  me  than  they  know  already." 

"  Thank 'e  for  that  Jack — thank 'e  with  all  my  heart. 
Shipmates  of  our  standing  ought  to  be  fast  friends;  and  so 
you  '11  find  me,  if  you  '11  only  sail  under  the  true  colours, 
my  man." 

At  that  moment  Jack  longed  to  let  the  captain  know  how 
strenuously  he  had  insisted  that  very  night  on  rejoining  his 
vessel;  and  this  at  a  time,  too,  when  the  brig  was  falling 
into  disrepute.  But  this  he  could  not  do,  without  betraying 
the  secret  of  the  lovers — so  he  chose  to  say  nothing. 

"  There  is  no  use  in  blabbing  all  a  man  knows,  and  the 
galley  is  a  sad  place  for  talking.  Galley  news  is  poor  news, 
I  suppose  you  know,  Jack." 

''I've  hear'n  say  as  much  on  board  o'  man-of-war.  It's 
a  great  place  for  the  officers  to  meet  and  talk,  and  smoke, 
in  Uncle  Sam's  crafts;  and  what  a  body  hears  in  such 
places,  is  pretty  much  newspaper  stuff,  I  do  suppose." 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  137 

"Ay,  ay,  that's  it;  not  to  be  thought  of  half-an-hour 
after  it  has  been  spoken.  Here's  a  doubloon  for  you, 
Jack  ;  and  all  for  the  sake  of  old  times.  Now,  tell  me,  my 
litle  fellow,  how  do  the  ladies  come  on?  Doesn't  Miss 
Rose  get  over  her  mourning  on  account  of  the  mate? 
Ar'  n't  we  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seem'  her  on  deck  soon  ?" 
"  I  can't  answer  for  the  minds  and  fancies  of  young 
women,  Captain  Spike.  They  are  difficult  to  understand ; 
and  I  would  rather  not  meddle  with  what  I  can't  under 
stand." 

"  Poh,  poh,  man;  you  must  get  over  that.  You  might 
be  of  great  use  to  me,  Jack,  in  a  very  delicate  affair — for 
you  know  how  it  is  with  women ;  they  must  be  handled  as 
a  man  would  handle  this  brig  among  breakers ;  Rose,  in 
partic'lar,  is  as  skittish  as  a  colt." 

"  Stephen  Spike,"  said  Jack,  solemnly,  but  on  so  low  a 
key  that  it  entirely  changed  his  usually  harsh  and  cracked 
voice  to  one  that  sounded  soft,  if  not  absolutely  pleasant, 
"  do  you  never  think  of  hereafter?  Your  days  are  almost 
run ;  a  very  few  years,  in  your  calling  it  may  be  a  very  few 
weeks,  or  a  few  hours,  and  time  will  be  done  with  you,  and 
etarnity  will  commence. — Do  you  never  think  of  a  here 
after?" 

Spike  started  to  his  feet,  gazing  at  Jack  intently ;  then 
he  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  face,  and  began  to  pace 
the  deck  rapidly,  muttering  to  himself — "this  has  been  a 
most  accursed  night !  First  the  mate,  and  now  this  I  Blast 
me,  but  I  thought  it  was  a  voice  from  the  grave !  Graves ! 
can't  they  keep  those  that  belong  to  them,  or  have  rocks 
and  waves  no  graves?" 

What  more  passed  through  the  mind  of  the  captain  must 
remain  a  secret,  for  he  kept  it  to  himself;  nor  did  he  take 
any  further  notice  of  his  companion.  Jack,  finding  that 
he  was  unobserved,  passed  quietly  below,  and  took  the 
place  in  his  berth,  which  he  had  only  temporarily  aban 
doned. 

Just  as  the  day  dawned,  the  Swash  reached  the  vicinity 
of  the  wreck  again.  Sail  was  shortened,  and  the  brig  stood 
in  until  near  enough  for  the  purpose  of  her  commander, 
when  she  was  hove-to,  so  near  the  mast-heads  that,  by  low 
ering  the  yawl,  a  line  was  sent  out  to  the  fore-mast,  and  the 
12* 


I — 

138  JACK  TIER; 

I 

brig  was  hauled  close  alongside.  The  direction  of  the  reef 
at  that  point  formed  a  lee ;  and  the  vessel  lay  in  water  suf 
ficiently  smooth  for  her  object. 

This  was  done  soon  after  the  sun  had  risen,  and  Spike 
now  ordered  all  hands  called,  and  began  his  operations  in 
earnest.  By  sounding  carefully  around  the  schooner  when 
last  here,  he  had  ascertained  her  situation  to  his  entire  sa 
tisfaction.  She  had  settled  on  a  shelf  of  the  reef,  in  such 
a  position  that  her  bows  lay  in  a  sort  of  cradle,  while  her 
stern  was  several  feet  nearer  to  the  surface  than  the  oppo 
site  extremity.  This  last  fact  was  apparent,  indeed,  by 
the  masts  themselves,  the  lower  mast  aft  being  several  feet 
out  of  water,  while  the  fore-mast  was  entirely  buried,  leav 
ing  nothing  but  the  fore-topmast  exposed.  On  these  great 
premises  Spike  had  laid  the  foundation  of  the  practical 
problem  he  intended  to  solve. 

No  expectation  existed  of  ever  getting  the  schooner 
afloat  again.  All  that  Spike  and  the  Senior  Montefalderon 
now  aimed  at,  was  to  obtain  the  doubloons,  which  the  for 
mer  thought  could  be  got  at  in  the  following  manner.  He 
knew  that  it  would  be  much  easier  handling  the  wreck,  so 
far  as  its  gravity  was  concerned,  while  the  hull  continued 
submerged.  He  also  knew  that  one  end  could  be  raised 
with  a  comparatively  trifling  effort,  so  long  as  the  other 
rested  on  the  rock.  Under  these  circumstances,  therefore, 
he  proposed  merely  to  get  slings  around  the  after  body  of 
the  schooner,  as  near  her  stern-post,  indeed,  as  would  be 
safe,  and  to  raise  that  extremity  of  the  vessel  to  the  surface, 
leaving  most  of  the  weight  of  the  craft  to  rest  on  the  bows. 
The  difference  between  the  power  necessary  to  effect  this 
much,  and  that  which  would  be  required  to  raise  the  whole 
wreck,  would  be  like  the  difference  in  power  necessary  to 
turn  over  a  log  with  one  end  resting  on  the  ground,  and 
turning  the  same  log  by  lifting  it  bodily  in  the  arms,  and 
turning  it  in  the  air.  With  the  stern  once  above  water,  it 
would  be  easy  to  come  at  the  bag  of  doubloons,  which  Jack 
Tier  had  placed  in  a  locker  above  the  transoms. 

The  first  thing  was  to  secure  the  brig  properly,  in  order 
that  she  might  bear  the  necessary  strain.  This  was  done 
very  much  as  has  been  described  already,  in  the  account 
of  the  manner  in  which  she  was  secured  arid  supported  in 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  139 

order  to  raise  the  schooner  at  the  Dry  Tortugas.  An  an 
chor  was  laid  abreast  and  to  windward,  and  purchases  were 
brought  to  the  masts,  as  before.  Then  the  bight  of  the 
chain  brought  from  the  Tortugas,  was  brought  under  the 
schooner's  keel,  and  counter-purchases,  leading  from  both 
the  fore-mast  and  main-mast  of  the  brig,  were  brought  to  it, 
and  set  taut.  Spike  now  carefully  examined  all  his  fasten 
ings,  looking  to  his  cables  as  well  as  his  mechanical  power 
aloft,  heaving  in  upon  this,  and  veering  out  upon  that,  in 
order  to  bring  the  Molly  square  to  her  work ;  after  which 
he  ordered  the  people  to  knock-off  for  their  dinners.  By 
that  time,  it  was  high  noon. 

While  Stephen  Spike  was  thus  employed  on  the  wreck, 
matters  and  things  were  not  neglected  at  the  Tortugas. 
The  Poughkeepsie  had  no  sooner  anchored,  than  Wallace 
went  on  board  and  made  his  report.  Capt.  Mull  then  sent 
for  Muiford,  with  whom  he  had  a  long  personal  conference. 
This  officer  was  getting  grey,  and  consequently  he  had  ac 
quired  experience.  It  was  evident  to  Harry,  at  first,  that 
he  was  regarded  as  one  who  had  been  willingly  engaged  in 
an  unlawful  pursuit,  but  who  had  abandoned  it  to  push 
dearer  interests  in  another  quarter.  It  was  some  time  be 
fore  the  commander  of  the  sloop-of-war  could  divest  him 
self  of  this  opinion,  though  it  gradually  gave  way  before  the 
frankness  of  the  mate's  manner,  and  the  manliness,  simpli 
city,  and  justice  of  his  sentiments.  Perhaps  Rose  had 
some  influence  also  in  bringing  about  this  favourable  change. 

Wallace  did  not  fail  to  let  it  be  known  that  turtle-soup 
was  to  be  had  ashore;  and  many  was  the  guest  our  heroine 
had  to  supply  with  that  agreeable  compound,  in  the  course 
of  the  morning.  Jack  Tier  had  manifested  so  much  skill 
in  the  preparation  of  the  dish,  that  its  reputation  soon  ex 
tended  to  the  cabin,  and  the  captain  was  induced  to  land, 
in  order  to  ascertain  how  far  rumour  was  or  was  not  a  liar, 
on  this  interesting  occasion.  So  ample  was  the  custom, 
indeed,  that  Wallace  had  the  consideration  to  send  one  of 
the  ward-room  servants  to  the  light-house,  in  order  to  re 
lieve  Rose  from  a  duty  that  was  getting  to  be  a  little  irk 
some.  She  was  "seeing  company"  as  a  bride,  in  a  novel 
and  rather  unpleasant  manner;  and  it  was  in  consequence 
of  a  suggestion  of  the  "  ship's  gentleman/'  that  the  remains 


1 40  J  A  C  K    T  I  E  R  ; 

of  the  turtle  were  transferred  to  the  vessel,  and  were  put 
into  the  coppers,  sccundum  artcm,  by  the  regular  cooks. 

It  was  after  tickling  his  palate  with  a  bowl  of  the  soup, 
and  enjoying  a  half-hour's  conversation  with  Rose,  that 
Capt.  Mull  summoned  Harry  to  a  final  consultation  on  the 
subject  of  their  future  proceedings.  By  this  time  the  com 
mander  of  the  Poughkeepsie  was  in  a  better  humour  with 
his  new  acquaintance,  more  disposed  to  believe  him,  and 
infinitely  more  inclined  to  listen  to  his  suggestions  and  ad 
vice,  than  he  had  been  in  their  previous  interviews.  Wal 
lace  was  present  in  his  character  of  "  ship's  gentleman," 
or,  as  having  nothing  to  do,  while  his  senior,  the  first  lieu 
tenant,  was  working  like  a  horse  on  board  the  vessel,  in  the 
execution  of  his  round  of  daily  duties. 

At  this  consultation,  the  parties  came  into  a  right  under 
standing  of  each  other's  views  and  characters.  Capt.  Mull 
was  slow  to  yield  his  confidence,  but  when  he  did  bestow 
it,  he  bestowed  it  sailor-fashion,  or  with  all  his  heart.  Sa 
tisfied  at  last  that  he  had  to  do  with  a  young  man  of  hon 
our,  and  one  who  was  true  to  the  flag,  he  consulted  freely 
with  our  mate,  asked  his  advice,  and  was  greatly  influ 
enced  in  the  formation  of  his  final  decision  by  the  opinions 
that  Harry  modestly  advanced,  maintaining  them,  however, 
with  solid  arguments,  and  reasons  that  every  seaman  could 
comprehend. 

Mulford  knew  the  plans  of  Spike  by  means  of  his  own 
communications  with  the  Senor  Montefalderon.  Once  ac 
quainted  with  the  projects  of  his  old  commander,  it  was 
easy  for  him  to  calculate  the  time  it  would  require  to  put 
them  in  execution,  with  the  means  that  were  to  be  found 
en  board  the  Swash.  "It  will  take  the  brig  until  near 
morning,"  he  said,  "  to  beat  up  to  the  place  where  the 
wreck  lies.  Spike  will  wait  for  light  to  commence  opera 
tions,  and  several  hours  will  be  necessary  to  moor  the  brig, 
and  get  out  the  anchors  with  which  he  will  think  it  neces 
sary  to  stay  his  masts.  Then  he  will  hook  on,  and  he  mny 
partly  raise  the  hull  before  night  return.  More  than  this 
he  can  never  do;  and  it  would  not  surprise  me  were  he 
merely  to  get  everything  ready  for  heaving  on  his  purchases 
to-morrow,  and  suspend  further  proceedings  until  the  next 
day,  in  preference  to  having  so  heavy  a  strain  on  his  spars 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  141 

all  night.  He  has  not  the  force,  however,  to  carry  on  such 
duty  to  a  very  late  hour;  and  you  may  count  with  perfect 
security,  Captain  Mull,  on  his  being  found  alongside  of  the 
wreck  at  sunrise  the  next  day  after  to-morrow,  in  all  pro 
bability  with  his  anchors  down,  and  fast  to  the  wreck.  By 
timing  your  own  arrival  well,  nothing  will  be  easier  than  to 
get  him  fairly  under  your  guns,  and  once  under  your  guns, 
the  brig  must  give  up.  When  you  chased  her  out  of  this 
very  port,  a  few  days  since,  you  would  have  brought  her 
up  could  you  have  kept  her  within  range  of  those  terrible 
shells  ten  minutes  longer." 

"  You  would  then  advise  my  not  sailing  from  this  place 
immediately,"  said  Mull. 

"  It  will  be  quite  time  enough  to  get  under  way  late  in 
the  afternoon,  and  then  under  short  canvas.  Ten  hours 
will  be  ample  time  for  this  ship  to  beat  up  to  that  passage 
in,  and  it  will  be  imprudent  to  arrive  too  soon;  nor  do  I 
suppose  you  will  wish  to  be  playino-  round  the  reef  in  the 
dark." 

To  the  justice  of  all  this  Capt.  Mull  assented ;  and  the 
plan  of  proceedings  was  deliberately  and  intelligently  form 
ed.  As  it  was  necessary  for  Mulford  to  go  in  the  ship,  in 
order  to  act  as  pilot,  no  one  else  on  hoard  knowing  exactly 
where  to  find  the  wreck,  the  commander  of  the  Pough- 
keepsie  had  the  civility  to  offer  the  young  couple  the  hos 
pitalities  of  his  own  cabin,  with  one  of  his  state-rooms. 
This  offer  Harry  gratefully  accepted,  it  being  understood 
that  the  ship  would  land  them  at  Key  West,  as  soon  as  the 
contemplated  duty  was  executed.  Rose  felt  so  much  anxi 
ety  about  her  aunt,  that  any  other  arrangement  would 
scarcely  have  pacified  her  fears. 

In  consequence  of  these  arrangements,  the  Poughkeep- 
sie  lay  quietly  at  her  anchors  until  near  sunset.  In  the  in 
terval  her  boats  were  out  in  all  directions,  parties  of  the 
officers  visiting  the  islet  where  the  powder  had  exploded, 
and  the  islet  where  the  tent,  erected  for  the  use  of  the  fe 
males,  was  still  standing.  As  for  the  light-house  island,  an 
order  of  Capt.  Mull's  prevented  it  from  being  crowded  in 
a  manner  unpleasant  to  Rose,  as  might,  otherwise  have  been 
the  case.  The  few  officers  who  did  land  there,  however, 
appeared  much  struck  with  the  ingenuous  simplicity  and 


142  JACK   TIER; 

beauty  of  the  bride,  and  a  manly  interest  in  her  welfare 
was  created  among  them  all,  principally  by  means  of  the 
representations  of  the  second  lieutenant  and  the  chaplain. 
About  five  o'clock  she  went  off  to  the  ship,  accompanied 
by  Harry,  and  was  hoisted  on  board  in  the  manner  usually 
practised  by  vessels  of  war  which  have  no  accommodation- 
ladder  rigged.  Rose  was  immediately  installed  in  her 
state-room,  where  she  found  every  convenience  necessary 
to  a  comfortable  though  small  apartment. 

It  was  quite  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  boatswain 
and  his  mate  piped  "  all  hands  up  anchor,  ahoy  !"  Harry 
hastened  into  the  state-room  for  his  charming  bride,  anx 
ious  to  show  her  the  movements  of  a  vessel  of  war  on  such 
an  occasion.  Much  as  she  had  seen  of  the  ocean,  and  of 
a  vessel,  within  the  last  few  weeks,  Rose  now  found  that 
she  had  yet  a  great  deal  to  learn,  and  that  a  ship  of  war 
had  many  points  to  distinguish  her  from  a  vessel  engaged 
in  commerce. 

The  Poughkeepsie  was  only  a  sloop-of-war,  or  a  corvette, 
in  construction,  number  of  her  guns,  and  rate;  but  she 
was  a  ship  of  the  dimensions  of  an  old-fashioned  frigate, 
measuring  about  one  thousand  tons.  The  frigates  of  which 
we  read  half  a  century  since,  were  seldom  ever  as  large  as 
this,  though  they  were  differently  built  in  having  a  regular 
gun-deck,  or  one  armed  deck  that  was  entirely  covered, 
with  another  above  it ;  and  on  the  quarter-deck  and  fore 
castle  of  the  last  of  which  were  also  batteries  of  lighter 
guns.  To  the  contrary  of  all  this,  the  Poughkeepsie  had 
but  one  armed  deck,  and  on  that  only  twenty  guns.  These 
pieces,  however,  were  of  unusually  heavy  calibre,  throwing 
thirty-two  pound  shot,  with  the  exception  of  the  Paixhans, 
or  Columbiads,  which  throw  shot  of  even  twice  that  weight. 
The  vessel  had  a  crew  of  two  hundred  souls,  all  told ;  and 
she  had  the  spars,  anchors,  and  other  equipments  of  a  light 
frigate. 

In  another  great  particular  did  the  Poughkeepsie  differ 
from  the  corvette-built  vessels  that  were  so  much  in  favour 
at  the  beginning  of  the  century ;  a  species  of  craft  obtained 
from  the  French,  who  have  taught  the  world  so  much  in 
connection  with  naval  science,  and  who,  after  building 
gome  of  the  best  vessels  that  ever  floated,  have  failed  in 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  143 

knowing  how  to  handle  them,  though  not  always  in  that. 
The  Poughkeepsie,  while  she  had  no  spar,  or  upper  deck, 
properly  speaking,  had  a  poop  and  a  topgallam-forecastle. 
Within  the  last  were  the  cabins  and  other  accommodations 
of  the  captain ;  an  arrangement  that  was  necessary  for  a 
craft  of  her  construction,  that  carried  so  many  officers,  and 
so  large  a  crew.     Without  it,  sufficient  space  would  not  be 
had  for  the  uses  of  the  last.     One  gun  of  a  side  was  in  the 
main  cabin,  there  being  a  very  neat  and  amply  spacious 
after-cabin  between  the  state-rooms,  as  is   ordinarily  the 
case  in  all  vessels  from  the  size  of  frigates  up  to  that  of 
three-deckers.     It  may  be  well  to  explain  here,  while  on 
this  subject  of  construction,  that  in  naval  parlance,  a  ship 
is  called  a  single-decked  vessel ;  a  two-decker,  or  a  three- 
decker,  not  from  the  number  of  decks  she  actually  possess 
es,  but  from  the  number  of  gun-decks  that  she  has,  or  of 
those  that  are  fully  armed.     Thus  a  frigate  has  four  decks, 
the  spar,  gun,  berth,  and  orlop  (or  haul-up)  decks ;  but  she 
is  called  a  "  single-decked  ship,"  from  the  circumstance 
that  only  one  of  these  four  decks  has  a  complete  range  of 
batteries.     The  two-decker  has  two  of  these  fully  armed 
decks,  and  the  three-deckers  three;  though,  in  fact,  the 
two-decker  has  five,  and  the  three-decker  six  decks.     Ask 
ing  pardon  for  this  little  digression,  which  we  trust  will  be 
found  useful  to  a  portion  of  our  readers,  we  return  to  the 
narrative. 

Harry  conducted  Rose  to  the  poop  of  the  Poughkeepsie, 
where  she  might  enjoy  the  best  view  of  the  operation  of 
getting  so  large  a  craft  under  way,  man-of-war  fashion. 
The  details  were  mysteries,  of  course,  and  Rose  knew  no 
more  of  the  process  by  which  the  chain  was  brought  to  the 
capstan,  by  the  intervention  of  what  is  called  a  messenger, 
than  if  she  had  not  been  present.  She  saw  two  hundred 
men  distributed  about  the  vessel,  some  at  the  capstan,  some 
on  the  forecastle,  some  in  the  tops,  and  others  in  the  waist, 
and  she  heard  the  order  to  "  heave  round/'  Then  the  shrill 
fife  commenced  the  lively  air  of  "  the  girl  I  left  behind 
me,"  rather  more  from  a  habit  in  the  fifer,  than  from  any 
great  regrets  for  the  girls  left  at  the  Dry  Tortugas,  as  was 
betrayed  to  Mulford  by  the  smiles  of  the  officers,  and  the 
glances  they  cast  at  Rose.  As  for  the  latter,  she  knew  no- 


114  JACK   TIER; 


thin  or  of  the  air,  and  was  quite  unconscious  of  the  sort  of 
parody  that  the  gentlemen  of  the  quarter-deck  fancied  it 
conveyed  on  her  own  situation. 

Rose  was  principally  struck  with  the  quiet  that  prevailed 
in  the  ship,  Captain  Mull  being  a  silent  man  himself,  and 
insisting  on  having  a  quiet  vessel.  The  first  lieutenant 
was  not  a  noisy  officer,  and  from  these  two,  everybody  else 
on  board  received  their  cues.  A  simple  "  all  ready,  sir," 
uttered  by  the  first  to  the  captain,  in  a  common  tone  of 
voice,  answered  by  a  "  very  well,  sir,  get  your  anchor," 
in  the  same  tone,  set  everything  in  motion.  "  Stamp  and 
go,"  soon  followed,  and  taking  the  whole  scene  together, 
Rose  felt  a  strange  excitement  come  over  her.  There 
were  the  shrill,  animating  music  of  the  fife;  the  stamping 
time  of  the  men  at  the  bars;  the  perceptible  motion  of  the 
ship,  as  she  drew  ahead  to  her  anchor,  and  now  and  then 
the  call  between  Wallace,  who  stood  between  the  knight- 
heads,  as  commander-in-chief  on  the  forecastle,  (the  second 
lieutenant's  station  when  the  captain  does  not  take  the 
trumpet,  as  very  rarely  happens,)  and  the  "  executive  offi 
cer"  aft,  was  "  carrying  on  duty,"  all  conspiring  to  produce 
this  effect.  At  length,  and  it  was  but  a  minute  or  two  from 
the  time  when  the  "  stamp  and  go"  commenced,  Wallace 
called  out  "  a  short  stay-peak,  sir."  "  Heave  and  pull," 
followed,  and  the  men  left  their  bars. 

The  process  of  making  sail  succeeded.  There  was  no 
"  letting  fall"  a  fore-topsail  here,  as  on  board  a  merchant 
man,  but  all  the  canvas  dropped  from  the  yards,  into  fes 
toons,  at  the  same  instant.  Then  the  three  topsails  were 
sheeted  home  and  hoisted,  all  at  once,  and  all  in  a  single 
minute  of  time ;  the  yards  were  counter-braced,  and  The 
capstan-bars  were  again  manned.  In  two  more  minutes  it 
was  "  heave  and  she's  up  and  down."  Then  "  heave  and 
in  sight,"  and  "  heave  and  pull  again."  The  cat-fall  was 
ready,  and  it  was  "  hook  on,"  when  the  fife  seemed  to  turn 
its  attention  to  another  subject  as  the  men  catted  the  an 
chor.  Literally,  all  this  was  done  in  less  time  than  we 
have  taken  to  write  it  down  in,  and  in  very  little  more  time 
than  the  reader  has  wasted  in  perusing  what  we  have  here 
written. 

The  Poughkeepsie  was  now  "  free  of  bottom,"  as  it  is 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  145 

called,  with  her  anchor  catted  and  fished,  and  her  position 
maintained  in  the  basin  where  she  lay,  by  the  counter- 
bracing  of  her  yards,  and  the  counteracting  force  c.f  the 
wind  on  her  sails.  It  only  remained  to  "  fill  away,"  by 
bracing  her  head-yards  sharp  up,  when  the  vast  mass  over 
came  its  inertia,  and  began  to  move  through  the  water. 
As  this  was  done,  the  jib  and  spanker  were  set.  The  two 
most  beautiful  things  with  which  we  are  acquainted,  are  a 
graceful  and  high-bred  woman  entering  or  quitting  a  draw 
ing-room,  more  particularly  the  last,  and  a  man-of-war  leav 
ing  her  anchorage  in  a  moderate  breeze,  and  when  not 
hurried  for  time.  On  the  present  occasion,  Captain  Mull 
was  in  no  haste,  and  the  ship  passed  out  to  windward  of 
the  light,  as  the  Swash  hnd  done  the  previous  night,  under 
her  three  topsails,  spanker  and  jib,  with  the  light  sails 
loose  and  flowing,  arid  the  courses  hanging  in  the  brails. 

A  great  deal  is  said  concerning  the  defective  construc 
tion  of  the  light  cruisers  of  the  navy,  of  late  years,  and 
complaints  are  made  that  they  will  not  sail,  as  American 
cruisers  ought  to  sail,  and  were  wont  to  sail  in  old  times. 
That  there  has  been  some  ground  for  these  complaints,  we 
believe;  though  the  evil  has  been  greatly  exaggerated,  and 
some  explanation  may  be  given,  we  think,  even  in  the  cases 
in  which  the  strictures  are  not  altogether  without  justifica 
tion.  The  trim  of  a  light,  sharp  vessel  is  easily  deranged ; 
and  officers,  in  their  desire  to  command  as  much  as  possi 
ble,  often  get  their  vessels  of  this  class  too  deep.  They 
are,  generally,  for  the  sort  of  cruiser,  over-sparred,  over 
manned,  and  over-provisioned ;  consequently,  too  deep. 
We  recollect  a  case  in  which  one  of  these  delicate  craft, 
a  half-rigged  brig,  was  much  abused  for  "  having  lost  her 
sailing.'.'  She  did,  indeed,  lose  her  fore-yard,  and,  after  that, 
she  sailed  like  a  witch,  until  she  got  a  new  one  !  If  the 
facts  were  inquired  into,  in  the  spirit  which  ought  to  go 
vern  such  inquiries,  it  would  be  found  that  even  most  of 
the  much-abused  "  ten  sloops"  proved  to  be  better  ves 
sels  than  common.  The  St.  Louis,  the  Vincennes,  the 
Concord,  the  Fairfield,  the  Boston,  and  the  Falmouth,  are 
instances  of  what  we  mean.  In  behalf  of  the  Warren,  and 
the  Lexington,  we  believe  no  discreet  man  was  ever  heard 
to  utter  one  syllable,  except  as  wholesome  crafts.  But  the 

VOL.  II.  — 13 


146  JACK  TIER; 

Poughkeepsie  was  a  very  different  sort  of  vessel  from  any 
of  the  "  ten  sloops."  She  was  every  way  a  good  ship,  and, 
as  Jack  expressed  it,  was  u  a  good  goer."  The  most  se 
vere  nautical  critic  could  scarcely  have  found  a  fault  in 
her,  as  she  passed  out  between  the  islets,  on  the  evening 
of  the  day  mentioned,  in  the  sort  of  undress  we  have  de 
scribed.  The  whole  scene,  indeed,  was  impressive,  and 
of  singular  maritime  characteristics. 

The  little  islets  scattered  about,  low,  sandy,  and  unten- 
anted,  were  the  only  land  in  sight — all  else  was  the  bound 
less  waste  of  waters.  The  solitary  light  rose  like  an  aqua 
tic  monument,  as  if  purposely  to  give  its  character  to  the 
view.  Captain  Mull  had  caused  its  lamps  to  be  trimmed 
and  lighted  for  the  very  reason  that  had  induced  Spike  to 
do  the  same  thing,  and  the  dim  star  they  presented  was 
just  struggling  into  existence,  as  it  might  be,  as  the  bril 
liance  left  by  the  setting  sun  was  gradually  diminished,  and 
finally  disappeared.  As  for  the  ship,  the  hull  appeared 
dark,  glossy,  and  graceful,  as  is  usual  with  a  vessel  of  war. 
Her  sails  were  in  soft  contrast  to  the  colour  of  the  hull, 
and  they  offered  the  variety  and  divergence  from  straight 
lines  which  are  thought  necessary  to  perfect  beauty. 
Those  that  were  set,  presented  the  symmetry  in  their  trim, 
the  flatness  in  their  hoist,  and  the  breadth  that  distinguish 
a  man-of-war ;  while  those  that  were  loose,  floated  in  the 
air  in  every  wave  and  cloud-like  swell,  that  we  so  often  see 
in  light  canvas  that  is  released  from  the  yards  in  a  fresh 
breeze.  The  ship  had  an  undress  look  from  this  circum 
stance,  but  it  was  such  an  undress  as  denotes  the  man  or 
woman  of  the  world.  This  undress  appearance  was  in 
creased  by  the  piping  down  of  the  hammocks,  which  left 
the  nettings  loose,  and  with  a  negligent  but  still  knowing 
look  about  them. 

When  half  a  mile  from  the  islets,  the  main-yard  was 
braced  aback,  and  the  maintopsail  was  laid  to  the  mast. 
As  soon  as  the  ship  had  lost  her  way,  two  or  three  boats 
that  had  been  towing  astern,  each  with  its  boat-sitter,  or 
keeper,  in  it,  were  hauled  up  alongside,  or  to  the  quarters, 
were  "hooked  on,"  and  "run  up"  to  the  whistling  of  the 
call.  All  was  done  at  once,  and  all  was  done  in  a  couple 


OR, 'THE   FLORIDA   REEF.  147 

of  minutes.     As  soon  as  effected,  the  maintopsail  was  again 
filled,  and  away  the  ship  glided. 

Captain  Mull  was  not  in  the  habit  of  holding  many  con 
sultations  with  his  officers.  If  there  be  wisdom  in  a  "  mul 
titude  of  counsellors,"  he  was  of  opinion  it  was  not  on 
board  a  man-of-war.  Napoleon  is  reported  to  have  said 
that  one  bad  general  was  better  than  two  good  ones  ;  mean 
ing  that  one  head  to  an  army,  though  of  inferior  quality,  is 
better  than  a  hydra  of  Solomons,  or  Caesars.  Captain  Mull 
was  much  of  the  same  wa/  of  thinking,  seldom  troubling 
his  subordinates  with  anything  but  orders.  He  interfered 
very  little  with  "  working  Willy,"  though  he  saw  effectual 
ly  that  he  did  his  duty.  "  The  ship's  gentleman"  might 
enjoy  his  joke  as  much  as  he  pleased,  so  long  as  he  chose 
his  time  and  place  with  discretion,  but  in  the  captain's 
presence  joking  was  not  tolerated,  unless  it  were  after  din 
ner,  at  his  own  table,  and  in  his  own  cabin.  Even  there 
it  was  not  precisely  such  joking  as  took  place  daily,  not  to 
say  hourly,  in  the  midshipmen's  messes. 

In  making  up  his  rnind  as  to  the  mode  of  proceeding  on 
the  present  occasion,  therefore,  Captain  Mull,  while  he  had 
heard  all  that  Mulford  had  to  tell  him,  and  had  even 
encouraged  Wallace  to  give  his  opinions,  made  up  his  deci 
sion  for  himself.  After  learning  all  that  Harry  had  to  com 
municate,  he  made  his  own  calculations  as  to  time  and 
distance,  and  quietly  determined  to  carry  whole  sail  on  the 
ship  for  the  next  four  hours.  This  he  did  as  the  wisest 
course  of  making  sure  of  getting  to  windward  while  he 
could,  and  knowing  that  the  vessel  could  be  brought  under 
short  canvas  at  any  moment  when  it  might  be  deemed  ne 
cessary.  The  light  was  a  beacon  to  let  him  know  his  dis 
tance  with  almost  mathematical  precision.  It  could  be 
seen  so  many  miles  at  sea,  each  mile  being  estimated  by  so 
many  feet  of  elevation,  and  having  taken  that  elevation,  he 
was  sure  of  his  distance  from  the  glittering  object,  so  long 
as  it  could  be  seen  from  his  own  poop.  It  was  also  of  use 
by  letting  him  know  the  range  of  the  reef,  though  Captain 
Mull,  unlike  Spike,  had  determined  to  make  one  leg  off  to 
the  northward  and  eastward  until  he  had  brought  the  light 
nearly  to  the  horizon,  and  then  to  make  another  to  the 
southward  and  eastward,  believing  that  the  last  stretch 


148  JACK  TIER; 

would  bring  him  to  the  reef,  almost  as  far  to  windward  as 
he  desired  to  be.  In  furtherance  of  this  plan,  the  sheels 
of  the  different  sails  were  drawn  home,  as  soon  as  the  boats 
were  in,  and  the  Poughkeepsie,  bending  a  little  to  the 
breeze,  gallantly  dashed  the  waves  aside,  as  she  went 
through  and  over  them,  at  a  rate  of  not  less  than  ten  good 
knots  in  the  hour.  As  soon  as  all  these  arrangements  were 
made,  the  watch  went  below,  and  from  that  time  through 
out  the  night,  the  ship  offered^  nothing  but  the  quiet  man 
ner  in  which  ordinary  duty  is  carried  on  in  a  well-regulat 
ed  vessel  of  war  at  sea,  between  the  hours  of  sun  and  sun. 
Leaving  the  good  craft  to  pursue  her  way  with  speed  and 
certainty,  we  must  now  return  to  the  Swash. 

Captain  Spike  had  found  the  mooring  of  his  brig  a  much 
more  difficult  task,  on  this  occasion,  than  on  that  of  his 
former  attempt  to  raise  the  schooner.  Then  he  had  to  lift 
the  wreck  bodily,  and  he  knew  that  laying  the  Swash  a 
few  feet  further  ahead  or  astern,  could  be  of  no  great  mo 
ment,  inasmuch  as  the  moment  the  schooner  was  off  the 
bottom,  she  would  swing  in  perpendicularly  to  the  pur 
chases.  But  now  one  end  of  the  schooner,  her  bows,  was 
to  remain  fast,  and  it  became  of  importance  to  be  certain 
that  the  purchases  were  so  placed  as  to  bring  the  least  strain 
on  the  masts  while  they  acted  most  directly  on  the  after 
body  of  the  vessel  to  be  lifted.  This  point  gave  Spike 
more  trouble  than  he  had  anticipated.  Fully  one  half  of 
the  remainder  of  the  day,  even  after  he  had  begun  to  heave 
upon  his  purchases,  was  spent  in  rectifying  mistakes  in 
connection  with  this  matter,  and  in  getting  up  additional 
securities  to  his  masts. 

In  one  respect  Spike  had,  from  the  first, 'made  a  good 
disposition.  The  masts  of  the  brig  raked  materially,  and 
by  bringing  the  head  of  the  Swash  in  the  direction  of  the 
schooner,  he  converted  this  fact,  which  might  otherwise 
have  been  of  great  disadvantage,  into  a  circumstance  that 
was  favourable.  In  consequence  of  the  brio's  having  been 
thus  moored,  the  strain,  which  necessarily  led  forward, 
came  nearly  in  a  line  with  the  masts,  and  the  latter  were 
much  better  able  to  support  it.  Notwithstanding  this  ad 
vantage,  however,  it  was  found  expedient  to  get  up  prevent 
er-stays,  and  to  give  the  spars  all  the  additional  support 


OR,     THE      FLORIDA     REEF.  149 

could  be  conveniently  bestowed.  Hours  were  passed  in 
making  these  preliminary,  or  it  might  be  better  to  say,  se 
condary  arrangements. 

It  was  past  five  in  the  afternoon  when  the  people  of  the 
Swash  began  to  heave  on  their  purchases  as  finally  disposed. 
After  much  creaking,  and  the  settling  of  straps  and  lash 
ings  into  their  places,  it  was  found  that  everything  stood, 
and  the  work  went  on.  In  ten  minutes  Spike  found  he  had 
the  weight  of  the  schooner,  so  far  as  he  should  be  obliged 
to  sustain  it  at  all,  until  the  stern  rose  above  the  surface; 
and  he  felt  reasonably  secure  of  the  doubloons.  Further 
than  this  he  did  not  intend  to  make  any  experiment  on  her, 
the  Serior  Montefalderon  having  abandoned  all  idea  of  re 
covering  the  vessel  itself,  now  so  much  of  the  cargo  was 
lost.  The  powder  was  mostly  consumed,  and  that  which 
remained  in  the  hull  must,  by  this  time,  be  injured  by 
dampness,  if  not  ruined.  So  reasoned  Don  Juan  at  least. 

As  the  utmost  care  was  necessary,  the  capstan  and  wind 
lass  were  made  to  do  their  several  duties  with  great  caution. 
As  inch  by  inch  was  gained,  the  extra  supports  of  the 
masts  were  examined,  and  it  was  found  that  a  much  hea 
vier  strain  now  came  on  the  masts  than  when  the  schooner 
was  raised  before.  This  was  altogether  owing  to  the  di 
rection  in  which  it  came,  and  to  the  fact  that  the  anchor 
planted  off  abeam  was  not  of  as  much  use  as  on  the  former 
occasion,  in  consequence  of  its  not  lying  so  much  in  a 
straight  line  with  the  direction  of  the  purchases.  Spike 
began  to  have  misgivings  on  account  of  his  masts,  and  this 
so  much  the  more  because  the  wind  appeared  to  haul  a  little 
further  to  the  northward,  and  the  weather  to  look  unsettled. 
Should  a  swell  roll  into  the  bight  of  the  reef  where  the  brig 
lay,  by  raising  the  hull  a  little  too  rudely,  there  would  be 
the  imminent  danger  of  at  least  springing,  if  not  of  abso 
lutely  carrying  away  both  the  principal  spars.  It  was 
therefore  necessary  to  resort  to  extraordinary  precautions, 
in  order  to  obviate  this  danger. 

The  captain  was  indebted  to  his  boatswain,  who  was  now 
in  fact  acting  as  his  mate,  for  the  suggestion  of  the  plan 
next  adopted.  Two  of  the  largest  spare  spars  of  the  brig 
were  got  out,  with  their  heads  securely  lashed  to  the  links 
of  the  chain  by  which  the  wreck  was  suspended,  one  on 
13* 


150  JACK   TIER; 

each  side  of  the  schooner.  Pig-iron  and  shot  were  lashed 
to  the  heels  of  these  spars,  which  carried  them  to  the  bottom. 
As  the  spars  were  of  a  greater  length  than  was  necessary 
to  reach  the  rock,  they  necessarily  lay  at  an  inclination, 
which  was  lessened  every  inch  the  after  body  of  the  wreck 
was  raised,  thus  forming  props  to  the  hull  of  the  schooner. 

Spike  was  delighted  with  the  success  of  this  scheme,  of 
which  he  was  assured  by  a  single  experiment  in  heaving. 
After  getting  the  spars  well  planted  at  their  heels,  he  even 
ordered  the  men  to  slacken  the  purchases  a  little,  and 
found  that  he  could  actually  relieve  the  brig  from  the  strain, 
by  causing  the  wreck  to  be  supported  altogether  by  these 
snores.  This  was  a  vast  relief  from  the  cares  of  the  ap 
proaching  night,  and  indeed  alone  prevented  the  necessity 
of  the  work's  going  on  without  interruption,  or  rest,  until 
the  end  was  obtained. 

The  people  of  the  Swash  were  just  assured  of  the  com 
fortable  fact  related,  as  the  Poughkeepsie  was  passing  out 
from  among  the  islets  of  the  Dry  Tortugas.  They  ima 
gined  themselves  happy  in  having  thus  made  a  sufficient 
provision  against  the  most  formidable  of  all  the  dangers 
that  beset  them,  at  the  very  moment  when  the  best  laid 
plan  for  their  destruction  was  on  the  point  of  being  execu 
ted.  In  this  respect,  they  resembled  millions  of  others  of 
their  fellows,  who  hang  suspended  over  the  vast  abyss  of 
eternity,  totally  unconscious  of  the  irretrievable  character 
of  the  fall  that  is  so  soon  to  occur.  Spike,  as  has  been 
just  stated,  was  highly  pleased  with  his  own  expedient,  and 
he  pointed  it  out  with  exultation  to  the  Sefior  Montefalde- 
ron,  as  soon  as  it  was  completed. 

"  A  nicer  fit  was  never  made  by  a  Lunnun  leg-maker, 
Don  Wan,"  the  captain  cried,  after  going  over  the  expla 
nations  connected  with  the  shores — "  there  she  stands,  at 
an  angle  of  fifty,  with  two  as  good  limbs  under  her  as  a 
body  could  wish.  I  could  now  cast  off  everything,  and 
leave  the  wreck  in  what  they  call  '  statu  quo,'  which,  I  sup 
pose,  means  on  its  pins,  like  a  statue.  The  tafferel  is  not 
six  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  half  an  hour 
of  heaving  will  bring  the  starn  in  sight." 

"  Your  work  seems  ingeniously  contrived  to  get  up  one 
extremity  of  the  vessel,  Don  Esteban,"  returned  the  Mexi- 


OR,   THE    FLORIDA     REEF.  151 

can ;  but  are  you  quite  certain  that  the  doubloons  are  in 
her?" 

This  question  was  put  because  the  functionary  of  a  gov 
ernment  in  which  money  was  very  apt  to  stick  in  passing 
from  hand  to  hand  was  naturally  suspicious,  and  he  found 
it  difficult  to  believe  that  Mulford,  Jack  Tier,  and  even 
Biddy,  under  all  the  circumstances,  had  not  paid  special 
attention  to  their  own  interests. 

"  The  bag  was  placed  in  one  of  the  transom-lockers  be 
fore  the  schooner  capsized,"  returned  the  captain,  "  as  Jack 
Tier  informs  rne ;  if  so,  it  remains  there  still.  Even  the 
sharks  will  not  touch  gold,  Don  Wan." 

"  Would  it  not  be  well  to  call  Jack,  and  hear  his  account 
of  the  matter  once  more,  now  we  appear  to  be  so  near  the 
Eldorado  of  our  wishes?" 

Spike  assented,  and  Jack  was  summoned  to  the  quarter 
deck.  The  little  fellow  had  scarce  showed  himself  through 
out  the  day,  and  he  now  made  his  appearance  with  a  slow 
step,  and  reluctantly. 

"  You  've  made  no  mistake  about  them  'ere  doubloons, 
I  take  it,  Master  Tier  ?"  said  Spike,  in  a  very  nautical  sort 
of  style  of  addressing  an  inferior.  "  You  know  them  to  be 
in  one  of  the  transom-lockers  ?" 

Jack  mounted  on  the  breech  of  one  of  the  guns,  and 
looked  over  the  bulwarks  at  the  dispositions  that  had  been 
made  about  the  wreck.  The  taffere!  of  the  schooner  ac 
tually  came  in  sight,  when  a  little  swell  passed  over  it, 
leaving  it  for  an  instant  in  the  trough.  The  steward  thus 
caught  a  glimpse  again  of  the  craft  on  board  which  he  had 
seen  so  much  hazard,  and  he  shook  his  head  and  seemed 
to  be  thinking  of  anything  but  the  question  which  had  jnst 
been  put  to  him. 

"  Well,  about  that  gold?"  asked  Spike,  impatiently. 

"  The  sight  of  that  craft  has  brought  other  thoughts  than 
fjold  into  my  mind,  Captain  Spike,"  answered  Jack,  grave 
ly,  "  and  it.  would  be  well  for  all  us  mariners,  if  we  thought 
less  of  gold  and  more  of  the  dangers  we  run.  For  hours 
and  hours  did  I  stand  over  etarnity,  on  the  bottom  of  that 
schooner,  Don  Wan,  holdin'  my  life,  as  it  might  be,  at  the 
marcy  of  a  few  bubbles  of  air." 


152  JACK   TIER; 

"  What  has  all  that  to  do  with  the  gold  ?  Have  you  de 
ceived  me  about  that  locker,  little  rascal'?" 

"  No,  sir,  I  've  not  deceived  you — no,  Captain  Spike,  no. 
The  bag  is  in  the  upper  transom-locker,  on  the  starboard 
side.  There  I  put  it  with  my  own  hands,  arid  a  good  lift 
it  was  ;  and  there  you  '11  find  it,  if  you  '11  cut  through  the 
quarter-deck  at  the  spot  I  can  p'int  out  to  you." 

This  information  seemed  to  give  a  renewed  energy  to  all 
the  native  cupidity  of  the  captain,  who  called  the  men  from 
their  suppers,  and  ordered  them  to  commence  heaving 
anew.  The  word  was  passed  to  the  crew  that  "  it  was  now 
for  doubloons,"  and  they  went  to  the  bars  and  handspikes, 
notwithstanding  the  sun  had  set,  cheerfully  and  cheering. 

All  Spike's  expedients  admirably  answered  the  intended 
purposes.  The  stern  of  the  schooner  rose  gradually,  and 
at  each  lift  the  heels  of  the  shores  dropped  in  more  perpen 
dicularly,  carried  by  the  weights  attached  to  them,  and  the 
spars  stood  as  firm  props  to  secure  all  that  was  gained.  In 
a  quarter  of  an  hour,  most  of  that  part  of  the  stern  which 
was  within  five  or  six  feet  of  the  talferel,  rose  above  the 
water,  coming  fairly  in  view. 

Spike  now  snouted  to  the  men  to  "  pall !"  then  he  di 
rected  the  falls  to  be  very  gradually  eased  off,  in  order  to 
ascertain  if  the  shores  would  still  do  their  duty.  The  ex 
periment  was  successful,  and  presently  the  wreck  stood  in 
its  upright  position,  sustained  entirely  by  the  two  spars.  As 
the  last  were  now  nearly  perpendicular,  they  were  capable 
of  bearing  a  very  heavy  weight,  and  Spike  was  so  anxious 
to  relieve  his  own  brig  from  the  strain  she  had  been  endur 
ing,  that  he  ordered  the  lashings  of  the  blocks  to  be  loos 
ened,  trusting  to  his  shores  to  do  their  duty.  Against  this 
confidence  the  boatswain  ventured  a  remonstrance,  but  the 
gold  was  tco  near  to  allow  the  captain  to  listen  or  reply. 
The  carpenter  was  ordered  over  on  the  wreck  with  his 
tools,  while  Spike,  the  Sefior  Montefalderon,  and  two  men 
to  row  the  boat  and  keep  it  steady,  went  in  the  yawl  to 
watch  the  progress  of  the  work.  Jack  Tier  was  ordered 
to  stand  in  the  chains,  and  to  point  out,  as  nearly  as  possi 
ble,  the  place  where  the  carpenter  was  to  cut. 

When  all  was  ready,  Spike  gave  the  word,  and  the  chips 
began  to  fly.  By  the  use  of  the  saw  and  the  axe,  a  hole 


OR,     THE     FLOJIIDA     REEF.  153 

large  enough  to  admit  two  or  three  men  at  a  time,  was  soon 
made  in  the  deck,  and  the  sounding  for  the  much-coveted 
locker  commenced.  By  this  time,  it  was  quite  dark;  and 
a  lantern  was  passed  down  from  the  brig,  in  order  to  enable 
those  who  searched  for  the  locker  to  see.  Spike  had 
breasted  the  yawl  close  up  to  the  hole,  where  it  was  held 
by  the  men,  while  the  captain  himself  passed  tho  lantern 
and  his  own  head  info  tho  opening  to  reconnoitre. 

"  Ay,  it 's  all  right !"  cried  the  voice  of  the  captain  from 
within  his  cell-like  cavity.  "  I  can  just  see  the  lid  of  the 
locker  that  Jack  means,  and  we  shall  soon  have  what  we 
are  a'ter.  Carpenter,  you  may  as  well  slip  off  your  clothes 
at  once,  and  go  inside;  I  will  point  out  to  you  the  place 
where  to  find  the  locker.  You  're  certain,  Jack,  it  was  the 
starboard  locker?" 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,  the  starboard  locker,  and  no  other." 
The  carpenter  had  soon  got  into  the  hole,  as  naked  aa 
when  he  was  born.  It  was  a  gloomy-looking  place  for  a 
man  to  descend  into  at  that  hour,  the  light  from  the  lantern 
being  no  great  matter,  and  half  the  time  it  was  shaded  by 
the  manner  in  which  Spike  was  compelled  to  hold  it. 

"  Take  care  and  get  a  good  footing,  carpenter,"  said  the 
captain,  in  a  kinder  tone  than  common,  "  before  you  let  go 
with  your  hands ;  but  I  suppose  you  can  swim,  as  a  matter 
of  course?" 

"  No,  sir,  not  a  stroke — I  never  could  make  out  in  the 
water  at  all." 

"  Have  the  more 'care,  then.  Had  I  known  as  much,  I 
tvould  have  sent  another  hand  down;  but  mind  your  foot 
ing.  More  to  the  left,  man — more  to  the  left.  That  is 
the  lid  of  the  locker — your  hand  is  on  it ;  why  do  you  not 
open  it?" 

"  It  is  swelled  by  the  water,  sir,  and  will  need  a  chisel, 
or  some  tool  of  that  sort.  Just  call  out  to  one  of  the  men, 
sir,  if  you  please,  to  pass  me  a  chisel  from  my  tool-chest. 
A  good  stout  one  will  be  best." 

This  order  was  given,  and,  during  the  delay  it  caused, 
Spike  encouraged  the  carpenter  to  be  cool,  and  above  all 
to  mind  his  footing.  His  own  eagerness  to  get  at  the  gold 
was  so  great  that  he  kept  his  head  in  at  the  hole,  complete- 


r 


154  JACK  TIER; 


ly  cutting  off  the  man  within  from  all  communication  with 
the  outer  world. 

"What's  tiie  matter  with  you?"  demanded  Spike,  a 
little  sternly.  "  You  shiver,  and  yet  the  water  cannot  be 
cold  in  this  latitude.  No,  my  hand  makes  it  just  the  right 
warmth  to  be  pleasant." 

"It's  not  the  water,  Captain  Spike — I  wish  they  would 
come  with  the  chisel.  Did  you  hear  nothing,  sir  1  I'm 
certain  I  did  !" 

"  Hear ! — what  is  there  here  to  be  heard,  unless  there 
may  be  some  fish  inside,  thrashing  about  to  get  out  of  the 
vessel's  hold  ?" 

"I  am  sure  I  heard  something  like  a  groan,  Captain 
Spike.  I  wish  you  would  let  me  come  out,  sir,  and  I  '11  go 
for  the  chisel  myself;  them  men  will  never  find  it." 

"  Stay  where  you  are,  coward !  are  you  afraid  of  dead 
men  standing  against  walls?  Stay  where  you  are.  Ah  1 
here  is  the  chisel — now  let  us  see  what  you  can  do  with 
it." 

44 1  am  certain  I  heard  another  groan,  Captain  Spike.  1 
cannot  work,  sir.  I'm  of  no  use  here — do  let  me  come 
out,  sir,  and  send  a  hand  down  that  can  swim." 

Spike  uttered  a  terrible  malediction  on  the  miserable 
carpenter,  one  we  do  not  care  to  repeat;  then  he  cast  the 
light  of  the  lantern  full  in  the  man's  face.  The  quivering 
flesh,  the  pallid  face,  and  the  whole  countenance  wrought 
up  almost  to  a  frenzy  of  terror,  astonished,  as  well  as  alarm 
ed  him. 

"  What  ails  you,  man?"  said  the  captain  in  a  voice  of 
thunder.  "Clap  in  the  chisel,  or  I 'II  hurl  you  off  into  the 
water.  There  is  nothing  here,  dead  or  alive,  to  harm  ye  !" 

"  The  groan,  sir — I  hear  it  again  !  Do  let  me  come  out, 
Captain  Spike." 

Spike  himself,  this  time,  heard  what  even  lie  took  for  a 
groan.  It  came  from  the  depths  of  the  vessel,  apparently, 
arid  was  sufficiently  distinct  and  audible.  Astonished,  yet 
appalled,  he  thrust  his  shoulders  into  the  aperture,  as  if  to 
dare  the  demon  that  tormented  him,  and  was  met  by  the 
carpenter  endeavouring  to  escape.  In  the  struggle  that 
ensued,  the  lantern  was  dropped  into  the  water,  leaving  the 
half-frenzied  combatants  contending  in  the  dark.  The 


OR,     THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  155 

groan  was  renewed,  when  the  truth  flashed  on  the  minds 
of  both. 

"The  shores!  the  shores!"  exclaimed  the  carpenter 
from  within.  "The  shores!"  repeated  Spike,  throwing 
himself  back  into  the  boat,  and  shouting  to  his  men  to 
"  see  all  clear  of  the  wreck  !"  The  grating  of  one  of  the 
shores  on  the  coral  beneath  was  now  heard  plainer  than 
ever,  and  the  lower  extremity  slipped  outward,  not  astern, 
as  had  been  apprehended,  letting  the  wreck  slowly  settle  to 
the  bottom  again.  One  piercing  shriek  arose  from  the 
narrow  cavity  within ;  then  the  gurgling  of  water  into  the 
aperture  was  heard,  when  naught  of  sound  could  be  distin 
guished  but  the  sullen  and  steady  wash  of  the  waves  of  the 
gulf  over  the  rocks  of  the  reef. 

The  impression  made  by  this  accident  was  most  pro 
found.  A  fatality  appeared  to  attend  the  brig ;  and  most 
of  the  men  connected  the  sad  occurrence  of  this  night  with 
the  strange  appearance  of  the  previous  evening.  Even  the 
Senior  Montefalderon  was  disposed  to  abandon  the  doub 
loons,  and  he  urged  Spike  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  for 
Yucatan,  to  seek  a  friendly  harbour.  The  captain  waver 
ed,  but  avarice  was  too  strong  a  passion  in  him  to  be  easi 
ly  diverted  from  its  object,  and  he  refused  to  give  up  his 
purpose. 

As  the  wreck  was  entirely  free  from  the  brig  when  it 
went  down  for  the  third  time,  no  injury  was  sustained  by 
the  last  on  this  occasion.  By  renewing  the  lashings,  every 
thing  would  be  ready  to  begin  the  work  anew — and  this, 
Spike  was  resolved  to  attempt  in  the  morning.  The  men 
were  too  much  fatigued,  and  it  was  too  dark  to  think  of 
pushing  matters  any  further  that  night ;  and  it  was  very 
questionable  whether  they  could  have  been  got  to  work. 
Orders  were  consequently  given  for  all  hands  to  turn  in, 
the  captain,  relieved  by  Don  Juan  and  Jack  Tier,  having 
arranged  to  keep  the  watches  of  the  night. 

"This  is  a  sad  accident,  Don  Esteban,"  observed  the 
Mexican,  as  he  and  Spike  paced  the  quarter-deck  together, 
just  before  the  last  turned  in ;  "  a  sad  accident !  My  mi 
serable  schooner  seems  to  be  deserted  by  its  patron  saint. 
Then  your  poor  carpenter  !" 

"  Yes,  he  was  a  good  fellow  enough  with  a  saw,  or  an 


158  JACK   TIER; 

adze,"  answered  Spike,  yawning-.  "  But  we  get  used  to 
such  things  at  sea.  It's  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  car 
penter  expended.  Good  night,  Senor  Don  Wan}  in  the 
morning  we  '11  be  at  that  gold  ag'in." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

She's  in  a  scene  of  nature's  war, 
The  winds  and  waters  are  at  strife  ; 
And  both  with  her  contending  for 
The  brittle  thread  of  human  life. 

Miss  GOULD. 

SPIKE  was  sleeping  hard  in  his  berth,  quite  early  on  the 
following  morning,  before  the  return  of  light,  indeed,  when 
he  suddenly  started  up,  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  sprang  upon 
deck  like  a  man  alarmed.  He  had  heard,  or  fancied  he 
had  heard,  a  cry.  A  voice  once  well  known  and  listened 
to,  seemed  to  call  him  in  the  very  portals  of  hus  ear.  At 
first  he  had  listened  to  its  words  in  wonder,  entranced  like 
the  bird  by  the  snake,  the  tones  recalling  scenes  and  per 
sons  that  had  once  possessed  a  strong  control  over  his  rude 
feelings.  Presently  the  voice  became  harsher  in  its  utter 
ance,  and  it  said, 

"  Stephen  Spike,  awake!  The  hour  is  getting  late,  and 
you  have  enemies  nearer  to  you  than  you  imagine.  Awake, 
Stephen,  awake!" 

When  the  captain  was  on  his  feet,  and  had  plunged  his 
head  into  a  basin  of  water  that  stood  ready  for  him  in  the 
state-room,  he  could  not  have  told,  for  his  life,  whether  he 
had  been  dreaming  or  waking,  whether  what  he  had  heard 
was  the  result  of  a  feverish  imagination,  or  of  the  Jaws  of 
nature.  The  call  haunted  him  all  that  morning,  or  until 
events  of  importance  so  pressed  upon  him  as  to  draw  his 
undivided  attention  to  them  alone. 

It  was  riot  yet  day.  The  men  were  still  in  heavy  sleep, 
lying  about  the  decks,  for  they  avoided  the  small  and 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  157 

crowded  forecastle  in  that  warm  climate,  and  the  night  was 
apparently  at  its  deepest  hour.  Spike  walked  forward  to 
look  for  the  man  charged  with  the  anchor-watch.  It  proved 
to  be  Jack  Tier,  who  was  standing  near  the  galley,  his 
arms  folded  as  usual,  apparently  watching  the  few  signs  of 
approaching  day  that  were  beginning  to  be  apparent  in  the 
western  sky.  The  captain  was  in  none  of  the  best  humours 
with  the  steward's  assistant;  but  Jack  had  unaccountably 
got  an  ascendency  over  his  commander,  which  it.  was  cer 
tainly  very  unusual  for  any  subordinate  in  the  Swash  to 
obtain.  Spike  had  deferred  more  to  Mulford  than  to  any 
mate  he  had  ever  before  employed ;  but  this  was  the  defer 
ence  due  to  superior  information,  manners,  and  origin.  It 
was  common-place,  if  not  vulgar;  whereas,  the  ascendency 
obtained  by  little  Jack  Tier  was,  even  to  its  subject,  en 
tirely  inexplicable.  He  was  unwilling  to  admit  it  to  him 
self  in  the  most  secret  manner,  though  he  had  begun  to 
feel  it  on  all  occasions  which  brought  them  in  contact,  and 
to  submit  to  it  as  a  thing  not  to  be  averted. 

"  Jack  Tier,"  demanded  the  captain,  now  that  he  found 
himself  once  more  alone  with  the  other,  desirous  of  obtain 
ing  his  opinion  on  a  point  that  harassed  him,  though  he 
knew  not  why ;  "Jack  Tier,  answer  me  one  thing.  Do 
you  believe  that  we  saw  the  form  of  a  dead  or  of  a  living 
man  at  the  foot  of  the  light-house  ? " 

"  The  dead  are  never  seen  leaning  against  walls  in  that 
manner,  Stephen  Spike,"  answered  Jack,  coolly,  not  even 
taking  the  trouble  to  uncoil  his  arms.  "  What  you  saw 
was  a  living  man:  and  you  would  do  well  to  be  on  your 
guard  against  him.  Harry  Mulford  is  not  your  friend  — 
and  there  is  reason  for  it." 

"  Harry  Mulford,  and  living!  How  can  that  be,  Jack? 
You  know  the  port  in  which  he  chose  to  run." 

"  I  know  the  rock  on  which  you  chose  to  abandon  him, 
Captain  Spike." 

"  If  so,  how  could  he  be  living  and  at  the  Dry  Tortugas. 
The  thing  is  impossible  !" 

"  The  thing  is  so.  You  saw  Harry  Mulford,  living  and 
well,  and  ready  to  hunt  you  to  the  gallows.  Beware  of 
him,  then  ;  and  beware  of  his  handsome  wife !" 

VOL.  II.  —  14 


158  JACK   TIER: 

"  Wife  !  the  fellow  has  no  wife — he  has  always  professed 
to  be  a  single  man !" 

"  The  man  is  married  —  and  I  bid  you  beware  of  his 
handsome  wife.  She,  too,  will  be  a  witness  ag'in  you." 

"This  will  be  news,  then,  for  Rose  Budd.  I  shall  de 
light  in  telling  it  to  her,  at  least." 

"  'T  will  be  no  news  to  Rose  Budd.  She  was  present  at 
the  wedding,  and  will  not  be  taken  by  surprise.  Rose  loves 
Harry  too  well  to  let  him  marry,  and  she  not  present  at  the 
wedding." 

"  Jack,  you  talk  strangely  !  What  is  the  meaning  of  all 
this?  I  am  captain  of  this  craft,  and  will  not  be  trifled 
with — tell  me  at  once  your  meaning,  fellow." 

"  My  meaning  is  simple  enough,  and  easily  told.  Rose 
Budd  is  the  wife  of  Harry  Mulford." 

"  You  're  dreaming,  fellow,  or  are  wishing  to  trifle  with 
me!" 

"  It  may  be  a  dream,  but  it  is  one  that  will  turn  out  to 
be  true.  If  they  have  found  the  Poughkeepsie  sloop-of- 
war,  as  I  make  no  doubt  they  have  by  this  time,  Mulford 
and  Rose  are  man  and  wife." 

"  Fool  !  you  know  not  what  you  say  !  Rose  is  at  this 
moment  in  her  berth,  sick  at  heart  on  account  of  the  young 
gentleman  who  preferred  to  live  on  the  Florida  Reef  rather 
than  to  sail  in  the  Molly !" 

"  Rose  is  not  in  her  berth,  sick  or  well ;  neither  is  she  on 
board  this  brig  at  all.  She  went  off  in  the  light-house  boat 
to  deliver  her  lover  from  the  naked  rock — and  well  did  she 
succeed  in  so  doing.  God  was  of  her  side,  Stephen  Spike  ; 
and  a  body  seldom  fails  with  such  a  friend  to  support  one." 

Spike  was  astounded  at  these  words,  and  not  less  so  at 
the  cool  and  confident  manner  with  which  they  were  pro 
nounced.  Jack  spoke  in  a  certain  dogmatical,  oracular 
manner,  it  is  true,  one  that  might  have  lessened  his  author 
ity  with  a  person  over  whom  he  had  less  influence;  but 
this  in  no  degree  diminished  its  effect  on  Spike.  On  the 
contrary,  it  even  disposed  the  captain  to  yield  an  implicit 
faith  to  what  he  heard,  and  all  so  much  the  more  because 
the  facts  he  was  told  appeared  of  themselves  to  be  nearly 
impossible.  It  was  half  a  minute  before  he  had  sufficiently 
recovered  from  his  surprise  to  continue  the  discourse. 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  159 

"  The  light-house  boat !"  Spike  then  slowly  repeated. 
"  Why,  fellow,  you  told  me  the  light-house  boat  went  adrift 
from  your  own  hands !'' 

"  So  it  did,"  answered  Jack,  coolly,  "  since  I  cast  off  the 
painter — and  what  is  more,  went  in  it." 

"  You  !  This  is  impossible.  You  are  telling  me  a  fabri 
cated  lie.  If  you  had  gone  away  in  that  boat,  how  could 
you  now  be  here?  No,  no — it  is  a  miserable  lie,  and  Rose 
is  below !" 

"  Go  and  look  into  her  state-room,  and  satisfy  yourself 
with  your  own  eyes." 

Spike  did  as  was  suggested.  He  went  below,  took  a 
lamp  that  was  always  suspended,  lighted,  in  the  main  cabin, 
and,  without  ceremony,  proceeded  to  Rose's  state-room, 
where  he  soon  found  that  the  bird  had  really  flown.  A 
direful  execration  followed  this  discovery,  one  so  loud  as 
to  awaken  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy.  Determined  not  to  do 
things  by  halves,  he  broke  open  the  door  of  the  widow's 
state-room,  and  ascertained  that  the  person  he  sought  was 
not  there.  A  fierce  explosion  of  oaths  and  denunciations 
followed,  which  produced  an  answer  in  the  customary 
screams.  In  the  midst  of  this  violent  scene,  however, 
questions  were  put,  and  answers  obtained,  that  not  only 
served  to  let  the  captain  know  that  Jack  had  told  him  no 
thing  but  truth,  but  to  put  an  end  to  everything  like  ami 
cable  relations  between  himself  and  the  relict  of  his  old 
commander.  Until  this  explosion,  appearances  had  been 
observed  between  them ;  but,  from  that  moment,  there  must 
necessarily  be  an  end  of  all  professions  of  even  civility. 
Spike  was  never  particularly  refined  in  his  intercourse  with 
females,  but  he  now  threw  aside  even  its  pretension.  His 
rage  was  so  great  that  he  totally  forgot  his  manhood,  and 
lavished  on  both  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy  epithets  that  were 
altogether  inexcusable,  and  many  of  which  it  will  not  do 
to  repeat.  Weak  and  silly  as  was  the  widow,  she  was  not 
without  spirit;  and  on  this  occasion  she  was  indisposed  to 
submit  to  all  this  unmerited  abuse  in  silence.  Biddy,  as 
usual,  took  her  cue  from  her  mistress,  and  between  the  two, 
their  part  of  the  wordy  conflict  v/as  kept  up  with  a  very 
respectable  degree  of  animation. 

"  I  know  you — I  know  you,  now  1"  screamed  the  widow, 


160  JACK  TIER; 

at  the  top  of  her  voice ;  "  and  you  can  no  longer  deceive 
me,  unworthy  son  of  Neptune  as  you  are  !  You  are  unfit 
to  be  a  lubber,  and  would  be  log-booked  for  an  or'nary  by 
every  gentleman  on  board  ship.  You,  a  full-jiggered  sea 
man  !  No,  you  are  not  even  half-jiggered,  sir ;  and  I  tell 
you  so  to  your  face." 

"  Yes,  and  it  isn't  7mjf  that  might  be  tould  the  likes  of 
yees  I"  put  in  Biddy,  as  her  mistress  stopped  to  breathe. 
"And  it's  Miss  Rose  you'd  have  for  a  wife,  when  Biddy 
Noon  would  be  too  good  for  ye  !  We  knows  ye,  and  all 
about  ye,  and  can  give  yer  history  as  complate  from  the 
day  ye  was  born  down  to  the  prisent  moment,  and  not  find 
a  good  word  to  say  in  yer  favour  in  all  that  time  —  and  a 
precious  time  it  is,  too,  for  a  gentleman  that  would  marry 
pretthy,  young  Miss  Rose!  Och !  I  scorn  to  look  at  ye, 
yer  so  ugly !" 

"  And  trying  to  persuade  me  you  were  a  friend  of  my 
poor,  dear  Mr.  Budd,  whose  shoe  you  are  unworthy  to 
touch,  and  who  had  the  heart  and  soul  for  the  noble  pro 
fession  you  disgrace,"  cut  in  the  widow,  the  moment  Biddy 
gave  her  a  chance,  by  pausing  to  make  a  wry  face  as  she 
pronounced  the  word  "  ugly-"  "  I  now  believe  you  capa- 
sided  them  poor  Mexicans,  in  order  to  get  their  money ; 
and  the  moment  we  cast  anchor  in  a  road-side,  I  '11  go  ashore, 
and  complain  of  you  for  murder,  I  will." 

"Do,  missus,  dear,  and  I'll  be  your  bail,  will  I,  and 
swear  to  all  that  happened,  and  more  too.  Och  !  yer  a 
wretch,  to  wish  to  be  the  husband  of  Miss  Rose,  and  she 
so  young  and  pretthy,  and  you  so  ould  and  ugly  !" 

"  Come  away — come  away,  Stephen  Spike,  and  do  not 
stand  wrangling  with  women,  when  you  and  your  brig,  and 
all  that  belongs  to  you,  are  in  danger,"  called  out  Jack  Tier 
from  the  companion-way.  "Day  is  come;  and  what  is 
much  worse  for  you,  your  most  dangerous  enemy  is  coming 
with  it." 

Spike  was  almost  livid  with  rage,  and  ready  to  burst  out 
in  awful  rnnledictions;  but  at  this  summons  he  sprang  to 
the  ladder,  and  was  on  deck  in  a  moment.  At  first,  he  felt 
a  strong  disposition  to  wreak  his  vengeance  on  Tier,  but, 
fortunately  for  the  latter,  as  the  captain's  foot  touched  the 
quarter-deck,  his  eye  fell  on  the  Poughkeepsie,  then  within 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     RES  P.  161 

half  a  league  of  the  Swash,  standing  in  toward  the  reef, 
thouoh  fully  half  a  mile  to  leeward.  This  spectre  drove 
all  other  subjects  from  his  mind,  leaving  the  captain  of  the 
Swash  in  the  only  character  in  which  he  could  be  said  to 
be  respectable,  or  that  of  a  seaman.  Almost  instinctively 
he  called  all  hands,  then  he  gave  one  brief  minute  to  a  sur 
vey  of  his  situation. 

It  was,  indeed,  time  for  the  Swash  to  be  moving.  There 
she  lay,  with  three  anchors  down,  including  that  of  the 
schooner,  all  she  had,  in  fact,  with  the  exception  of  her 
best  bower,  and  one  kedge,  with  the  purchases  aloft,  in 
readiness  for  hooking  on  to  the  wreck,  and  all  the  extra  se 
curities  up  that  had  been  given  to  the  masts.  As  for  the 
sloop-of-war,  she  was  under  the  very  same  canvas  as  that 
with  which  she  had  come  out  from  the  Dry  Tortugas,  or 
her  three  top-sails,  spanker,  and  jib ;  but  most  of  her  other 
sails  were  loose,  even  to  her  royals  and  flying-jibs;  though 
closely  gathered  into  their  spars  by  means  of  the  running 
gear.  In  a  word,  every  sailor  would  know,  at  a  glance, 
that  the  ship  was  merely  waiting  for  the  proper  moment  to 
spread  her  wings,  when  she  would  be  flying  through  the 
water  at  the  top  of  her  speed.  The  weather  looked  dirty, 
arid  the  wind  was  gradually  increasing,  threatening  to  blow 
heavily  as  the  day  advanced. 

"  Unshackle,  unshackle !"  shouted  Spike  to  the  boat 
swain,  who  was  the  first  man  that  appeared  on  deck.  "  The 
bloody  sloop-of-war  is  upon  us,  and  there  is  not  a  moment 
to  lose.  VVe  must  get  the  brig  clear  of  the  ground  in  the 
shortest  way  we  can,  and  abandon  everything.  Unshackle, 
and  cast  offfor'ard  and  aft,  men." 

A  few  minutes  of  almost  desperate  exertion  succeeded. 
No  men  work  like  sailors,  when  the  last  are  in  a  hurry, 
their  efforts  being  directed  to  counteracting  squalls,  and 
avoiding  emergencies  of  the  most  pressing  character. 
Thus  was  it  now  with  the  crew  of  the  Swash.  The  clank 
ing  of  chains  lasted  but  a  minute,  when  the  parts  attached 
to  the  anchors  were  thrust  through  the  hawse-holes,  or  were 
dropped  into  the  water  from  other  parts  of  the  brig.  This 
at  once  released  the  vessel,  though  a  great  deal  remained 
to  be  done  to  clear  her  for  working,  and  to  put  her  in  the 
best  trim. 
14* 


162  JACK  TIER; 

"  Away  with  this  out-hauler  !"  again  shouted  Spike,  cast 
ing  loose  the  main-brails  as  he  did  so;  "  loose  the  jibs!" 

All  went  on  at  once,  and  the  Swash  moved  away  from 
the  grave  of  the  poor  carpenter  with  the  ease  and  facility 
of  motion  that  marked  all  her  evolutions.  Then  the  top 
sail  was  let  fall,  and  presently  all  the  upper  square-sails 
were  sheeted  home,  and  hoisted,  and  the  fore-tack  was 
hauled  aboard.  The  Molly  was  soon  alive,  and  jumping 
into  the  seas  that  met  her  with  more  power  than  was  com 
mon,  as  she  drew  out  from  under  the  shelter  of  the  reef 
into  rough  water.  From  the  time  when  Spike  gave  his 
first  order,  to  that  when  all  his  canvas  was  spread,  was  just 
seven  minutes. 

The  Poughkeepsie,  with  her  vastly  superior  crew,  was 
not  idle  the  while.  Although  the  watch  below  was  not  dis 
turbed,  she  tacked  beautifully,  and  stood  off  the  reef,  in  a 
line  parallel  to  the  course  of  the  brig,  and  distant  from  her 
about  half  a  mile.  Then  sail  was  made,  her  tacks  having 
been  boarded  in  stays.  Spike  knew  the  play  of  his  craft 
was  short  legs,  for  she  was  so  nimble  in  her  movements  that 
he  believed  she  could  go  about  in  half  the  time  that  would 
be  required  for  a  vessel  of  the  Poughkeepsie's  length. 
"  Ready  about,"  was  his  cry,  therefore,  when  less  than  a 
mile  distant  from  the  reef — "  ready  about,  and  let  her  go 
round."  Round  the  Molly  did  go,  like  a  top,  being  full  on 
the  other  tack  in  just  fifty-six  seconds.  The  movement  of 
the  corvette  was  more  stately,  and  somewhat  more  delib 
erate.  Still,  she  stayed  beautifully,  and  both  Spike  and 
the  boatswain  shook  their  heads,  as  they  saw  her  coming 
into  the  wind  with  her  sails  all  lifting  and  the  sheets 
flowing. 

"  That  fellow  will  fore-reach  a  cable's  length  before  he 
gets  about !"  exclaimed  Spike.  "  He  will  prove  too  much 
for  us  at  this  sport !  Keep  her  away,  my  man — keep  the 
brig  away  for  the  passage.  We  must  run  through  the  reef, 
instead  of  trusting  ourselves  to  our  heels  in  open  water." 

The  brig  was  kept  away  accordingly,  and  sheets  were 
eased  off,  and  braces  just  touched,  to  meet  the  new  line  of 
Bailing.  As  the  wind  stood,  it  was  possible  to  lay  through 
the  passage  on  an  easy  bowline,  though  the  breeze,  which 
was  getting  to  be  fresher  than  Spike  wished  it  to  be,  pro- 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  163 

mised  to  haul  more  to  the  southward  of  east,  as  the  day 
advanced.  Nevertheless,  this  was  the  Swash's  best  point 
of  sailing,  and  all  on  board  of  her  had  strong  hopes  of  her 
being  too  much  for  her  pursuer,  could  she  maintain  it. 
Until  this  feeling  began  to  diffuse  itself  in  the  brig,  not  a 
countenance  was  to  be  seen  on  her  decks  that  did  not.  be 
tray  intense  anxiety;  but  now  something  like  grim  smiles 
passed  among  the  crew,  as  their  craft  seemed  rather  to  fly 
than  force  her  way  through  the  water,  toward  the  entrance 
of  the  passage  so  often  adverted  to  in  this  narrative. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Poughkeepsie  was  admirably 
sailed  and  handled.  Everybody  was  now  on  deck,  and  the 
first  lieutenant  had  taken  the  trumpet.  Captain  Mull  was 
a  man  of  method,  and  a  thorough  man-of-war's  man.  What 
ever  he  did  was  done  according  to  rule,  and  with  great 
system.  Just  as  the  Swash  was  about  to  enter  the  passage, 
the  drum  of  the  Poughkeepsie  beat  to  quarters.  No  sooner 
were  the  men  mustered,  in  the  leeward,  or  the  starboard 
batteries,  than  orders  were  sent  to  cast  loose  the  guns,  and 
to  get  them  ready  for  service.  Owing  to  the  more  leeward 
position  of  his  vessel,  and  to  the  fact  that  she  always  head- 
reached  so  much  in  stays,  Captain  Mull  knew  that  she 
would  not  lose  much  by  luffing  into  the  wind,  or  by  making 
half-boards,  while  he  might  gain  everything  by  one  well- 
directed  shot. 

The  strife  commenced  by  the  sloop-of-war,  firing  her 
weather  bow-gun,  single-shotted,  at  the  Swash.  No  damage 
was  done,  though  the  fore-yard  of  the  brig  had  a  very  nar 
row  escape.  This  experiment  was  repeated  three  times, 
without  even  a  rope-yarn  being  carried  away,  though  the 
gun  was  pointed  by  Wallace  himself,  and  well  pointed,  too. 
But  it  is  possible  for  a  shot  to  come  very  near  its  object 
and  still  to  do  no  injury.  Such  was  the  fact  on  this  occa 
sion,  though  the  "  ship's  gentleman  "  was  a  good  deal  mor 
tified  by  the  result.  Men  look  so  much  at  success  as  the 
test  of  merit,  that  few  pause  to  inquire  into  the  reasons  of 
failures,  though  it  frequently  happens  that  adventures  pros 
per  by  means  of  their  very  blunders.  Captain  Mull  now 
determined  on  a  half-board,  for  his  ship  was  more  to  lee 
ward  than  he  desired.  Directions  were  given  to  the  officers 
in  the  batteries  to  be  deliberate,  and  the  helm  was  put 


164  JACK   TIER; 

down.  As  the  ship  shot  into  the  wind,  each  gun  was  fired, 
as  it  could  be  brought  to  bear,  until  the  lasi  of  them  all 
was  discharged.  Then  the  course  of  the  vessel  was 
changed,  the  helm  being  righted  before  the  ship  had  lost 
her  way,  and  the  sloop-of-war  fell  off  again  to  her  course. 

All  this  was  done  in  such  a  short  period  of  time  as 
scarcely  to  cause  the  Poughkeepsie  to  lose  anything,  while 
it  did  the  Swash  the  most  serious  injury.  The  guns  had 
been  directed  at  the  brig's  spars  and  sails,  Captain  Mull 
desiring  no  more  than  to  capture  his  chase,  and  the  de 
struction  they  produced  aloft  was  such  as  to  induce  Spike 
and  his  men,  at  first,  to  imagine  that  the  whole  hamper 
above  their  heads  was  about  to  come  clattering  down  on 
deck.  One  shot  carried  away  all  the  weather  fore-top 
mast  rigging  of  the  brig,  and  would  no  doubt  have  brought 
about  the  loss  of  the  mast,  if  another,  that  almost  instantly 
succeeded  it,  had  not  cut  the  spar  itself  in  two,  bringing 
dov/n,  as  a  matter  of  couree,  everything  above  it.  Nearly 
half  of  the  main-mast  was  gouged  out  of  that  spar,  and  the 
gaff  was  taken  fairly  out  of  its  jaws.  The  fore-yard  was 
cut  in  the  slings,  and  various  important  ropes  were  carried 
away  in  different  parts  of  the  vessel. 

Flight,  under  such  circumstances,  was  impossible,  un 
less  some  extraordinary  external  assistance  was  to  be  ob 
tained.  This  Spike  saw  at  once,  and  he  had  recourse  to 
the  only  expedient  that  remained;  which  might  possibly 
yet  save  him.  The  guns  were  still  belching  forth  their 
smoke  and  flames,  when  he  shouted  out.  the  order  to  put 
the  helm  hard  up.  The  width  of  the  passage  in  which  the 
vessels  were  was  not  so  great  but  that  he  might  hope  to 
pass  across  it,  and  to  enter  a  channel  among  the  rocks, 
which  was  favourably  placed  for  such  a  purpose,  ere  the 
sloop-of-war  could  overtake  him.  Whither  that  channel 
led,  what  water  it  possessed,  or  whether  it  were  not  a  shal 
low  cul  de  sac,  were  all  facts  of  which  Spike  was  ignorant. 
The  circumstances,  however,  would  not  admit  of  an  alter 
native. 

Happily  for  the  execution  of  Spike's  present  design, 
nothing  from  aloft  had  fallen  into  the  water,  to  impede  the 
brig's  way.  Forward,  in  particular,  she  seemed  all  wreck; 
her  fore-yard  having  come  down  altogether,  so  as  to  en- 


OR,     TUB     FLORIDA     REEF.  165 

cumber  the  forecastle,  while  her  top-mast,  with  its  depend 
ent  spars  and  gear,  was  suspended  but  a  short  distance 
above.  Still,  nothing  had  gone  over  the  side,  so  as  actually 
to  touch  the  water,  and  the  craft  obeyed  her  helm  as  usual. 
Away  she  went,  then,  for  the  lateral  opening  in  the  reef 
just  mentioned,  driven  ahead  by  the  pressure  of  a  strong 
breeze  on  her  sails,  which  still  offered  large  surfaces  to  the 
wind,  at  a  rapid  rate.  Instea  1  of  keeping  away  to  follow, 
the  Poughkeepsie  maintained  her  luff,  and  just  as  the  Swash 
entered  the  unknown  passage,  into  which  she  was  blindly 
plunging,  the  sloop-of-war  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to 
windward,  and  standing  directly  across  her  stern.  Nothing 
would  have  been  easier,  now,  than  for  Captain  Mull  to 
destroy  his  chase;  but  humanity  prevented  his  firing.  He 
knew  that  her  career  must  be  short,  and  he  fully  expected 
to  see  her  anchor ;  when  it  would  be  easy  for  him  to  take 
possession  with  his  boats.  With  this  expectation,  indeed, 
he  shortened  sail,  furling  top-gallant-sails,  and  hauling  up 
his  courses.  By  this  time,  the  wind  had  so  much  fresh 
ened,  as  to  induce  him  to  think  of  putting  in  a  reef,  and 
the  step  now  taken  had  a  double  object  in  view. 

To  the  surprise  of  all  on  board  the  man-of-war,  the  brig 
continued  on,  until  she  was  fully  a  mile  distant,  finding 
her  way  deeper  and  deeper  among  the  mazes  of  the  reef 
without  meeting  with  any  impediment!  This  fact  induced 
Captain  Mull  to  order  his  Paixhans  to  throw  their  shells 
beyond  her,  by  way  of  a  hint  to  anchor.  While  the  guns 
were  getting  ready,  Spike  stood  on  boldly,  knowing  it  was 
neck  or  nothing,  and  beginning  to  feel  a  faint  revival  of 
hope,  as  he  found  himself  getting  further  and  further  from 
his  pursuers,  and  the  rocks  not  fetching  him  up.  Even  the 
men,  who  had  begun  \TJ  murmur  at  what  seemed  to  them 
to  be  risking  too  much,  partook,  in  a  slight  degree,  of  the 
same  feeling,  and  began  to  execute  the  order  they  had  re 
ceived  to  try  to  get  the  launch  into  the  water,  with  some 
appearance  of  an  intention  to  succeed.  Previously,  the 
work  could  scarcely  be  said  to  go  on  at  all;  but  two  or 
three  of  the  older  seamen  now  bestirred  themselves,  and 
suggestions  were  made  and  attended  to,  that  promised  re 
sults.  But  it  was  no  easy  thing  to  get  the  launch  out  of  a 
half-rigged  brig,  that  had  lost  her  fore-yard,  and  which  car- 


166  JACK  TIER; 

ried  nothing  square  abaft.  A  derrick  was  used  in  com 
mon,  to  lift  the  stern  of  the  boat,  but  a  derrick  would  now 
be  useless  aft,  without  an  assistant  forward.  While  these 
things  were  in  discussion,  under  the  superintendence  of 
the  boatswain,  and  Spike  was  standing  between  the  knight- 
heads,  conning  the  craft,  the  sloop-of-war  let  fly  the  first  of 
her  hollow  shot.  Down  came  the  hurtling  mass  upon  the 
Swash,  keeping  every  head  elevated  and  all  eyes  looking 
for  the  dark  object,  as  it  went  booming  through  the  air 
above  their  heads.  The  shot  passed  fully  a  mile  to  lee 
ward,  where  it  exploded.  This  great  range  had  been  given 
to  the  first  shot,  with  a  view  to  admonish  the  captain  how 
long  he  must  continue  under  the  guns  of  the  ship,  and  as 
advice  to  come  to.  The  second  gun  followed  immediately. 
Its  shot  was  seem  to  ricochet,  directly  in  a  line  with  the 
brig,  making  leaps  of  about  half  a  mile  in  length.  It  struck 
the  water  about  fifty  yards  astern  of  the  vessel,  bounded 
directly  over  her  decks,  passing  through  the  main-sail  and 
some  of  the  fallen  hamper  forward,  and  exploded  about  a 
hundred  yards  ahead.  As  usually  happens  with  such  pro 
jectiles,  most  of  the  fragments  were  either  scattered  late 
rally,  or  went  on,  impelled  by  the  original  momentum. 

The  effect  of  this  last  gun  on  the  crew  of  the  Swash 
was  instantaneous  and  deep.  The  faint  gleamings  of  hope 
vanished  at  once,  and  a  lively  consciousness  of  the  despe 
rate  nature  of  their  condition  succeeded  in  every  mind. 
The  launch  was  forgotten,  and,  after  conferring  together 
for  a  moment,  the  men  went  in  a  body,  with  the  boatswain 
at  their  head,  to  the  forecastle,  and  offered  a  remonstrance 
to  their  commander,  on  the  subject  of  holding  out  any 
longer,  under  circumstances  so  very  hazardous,  and  which 
menaced  their  lives  in  so  many  different  ways.  Spike  lis 
tened  to  them  with  eyes  that  fairly  glared  with  fury.  He 
ordered  them  back  to  their  duty  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  tap 
ping  the  breast  of  his  jacket,  where  he  was  known  to  carry 
revolvers,  with  a  significance  that  could  convey  but  one 
meaning. 

It  is  wonderful  the  ascendency  that  men  sometimes  ob 
tain  over  their  fellows,  by  means  of  character,  the  habits 
of  command, and  obedience,  and  intimidation.  Spike  was 
a  stern  disciplinarian,  relying  on  that  and  ample  pay  for 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  167 

the  unlimited  control  he  often  found  it  necessary  to  exer 
cise  over  his  crew.  On  the  present  occasion,  his  people 
were  profoundly  alarmed,  but  habitual  deference  and  sub 
mission  to  their  leader  counteracted  the  feeling,  and  held 
them  in  suspense.  They  were  fully  aware  of  the  nature 
of  the  position  they  occupied  in  a  legal  sense,  and  were 
deeply  reluctant  to  increase  the  appearances  of  crime ;  but 
most  of  them  had  been  extricated  from  so  many  grave  diffi 
culties  in  former  instances,  by  the  coolness,  nerve  and 
readiness  of  the  captain,  that  a  latent  ray  of  hope  was  per 
haps  dimly  shining  in  the  rude  breast  of  every  old  sea-dog 
among  them.  As  a  consequence  of  these  several  causes, 
they  abandoned  their  remonstrance,  for  the  moment  at 
least,  and  made  a  show  of  returning  to  their  duty ;  though 
it  was  in  a  sullen  and  moody  manner. 

It  was  easier,  however,  to  make  a  show  of  hoisting  out 
the  launch,  than  to  effect  the  object,  This  was  soon  made 
apparent  on  trial,  and  Spike  himself  gave  the  matter  up. 
He  ordered  the  yawl  to  be  lowered,  got  alongside,  and  to 
be  prepared  for  the  reception  of  the  crew,  by  putting  into 
it  a  small  provision  of  food  and  water.  All  this  time  the 
brig  was  rushing  madly  to  leeward,  among  rocks  and  break 
ers,  without  any  other  guide  than  that  which  the  visible 
dangers  afforded.  Spike  knew  no  more  where  he  was 
going  than  the  meanest  man  in  his  vessel.  His  sole  aim 
was  to  get  away  from  his  pursuers,  and  to  save  his  neck 
from  the  rope.  He  magnified  the  danger  of  punishment 
that  he  really  ran,  for  he  best  knew  the  extent  and  nature 
of  his  crimes,  of  which  the  few  that  have  been  laid  before 
the  reader,  while  they  might  have  been  amongst  the  most 
prominent,  as  viewed  through  the  statutes  and  international 
law,  were  far  from  the  gravest  he  had  committed  in  the  eyes 
of  morals. 

About  this  time  the  Seiior  Montefalderon  went  forward 
to  confer  with  Spike.  The  calmness  of  this  gentleman's 
demeanour,  the  simplicity  and  coolness  of  his  movements, 
denoted  a  conscience  that  saw  no  particular  ground  for 
alarm.  He  wished  to  escape  captivity,  that  he  might  con 
tinue  to  serve  his  country,  but  no  other  apprehension  trou 
bled  him. 

"  Do  you  intend  to  trust  yourself  in  the  yawl,  Don  Este- 


168  JACK  TIER; 

ban  ?"  demanded  the  Mexican  quietly.  "  If  so,  is  she  not 
too  small  to  contain  so  many  as  we  shall  make  altogether?" 

Spike's  answer  was  given  in  a  low  voice;  and  it  evi 
dently  came  from  a  very  husky  throat. 

"  Speak  lower,  Don  Wan,"  he  said.  "  The  boat  would 
be  greatly  overloaded  with  all  hands  in  it,  especially  among 
the  breakers,  and  blowing  as  it  does;  but  we  may  leave 
some  of  the  party  behind." 

<l  The  brig  must  go  on  the  rocks,  sooner  or  later,  Don 
Esteban  ;  when  she  does,  she  will  go  to  pieces  in  an  hour. 

"I  expect  to  hear  her  strike  every  minute,  senor;  the 
moment  she  does,  we  must  be  off.  I  have  had  my  eye  on 
that  ship  for  some  time,  expecting  to  see  her  lower  her  cut 
ters  and  gigs  to  board  us.  You  will  not  be  out  of  the  way, 
Don  Wan ;  but  there  is  no  need  of  being  talkative  on  the 
subject  of  our  escape." 

Spike  now  turned  his  back  on  the  Mexican,  looking  an 
xiously  ahead,  with  the  desire  to  get  as  far  into  the  reef  as 
possible  with  his  brig,  which  he  conned  with  great  skill 
and  coolness.  The  Senor  Montefalderon  left  him.  With 
the  chivalry  and  consideration  of  a  man  and  a  gentleman, 
he  went  in  quest  of  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy.  A  hint  sufficed 
for  them,  and  gathering  together  a  few  necessaries  they 
were  in  the  yawl  in  the  next  three  minutes.  This  move 
ment  was  unseen  by  Spike,  or  he  might  have  prevented  it. 
His  eyes  were  now  riveted  on  the  channel  ahead.  It  had 
been  fully  his  original  intention  to  make  off  in  the  boat,  the 
instant  the  brig  struck,  abandoning  not  only  Don  Juan, 
with  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy  to  their  fates,  but  most  of  the 
crew.  A  private  order  had  been  given  to  the  boatswain, 
and  three  of  the  ablest-bodied  among  the  seamen,  each  and 
all  of  whom  kept  the  secret  with  religious  fidelity,  as  it 
was  believed  their  own  personal  safety  might  be  connected 
with  the  success  of  this  plan. 

Nothing  is  so  contagious  as  alarm.  It  requires  not  only 
great  natural  steadiness  of  nerve,  but  much  acquired  firm 
ness  to  remain  unmoved  when  sudden  terror  has  seized  on 
the  minds  of  those  around  us.  Habitual  respect  had  pre 
vented  the  crew  from  interfering  with  the  movements  of 
the  Mexican,  who  not  only  descended  into  the  boat  with 
his  female  companions  uninterrupted,  but  also  took  with 


OH,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  1G9 

him  the  little  bag  of  doubloons  which  fell  to  his  share  from 
the  first  raising  of  the  schooner.  Josh  and  Jack  Tier 
assisted  in  getting  Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy  over  the  side,  and 
both  took  their  own  places  in  the  yawl,  as  soon  as  this 
pious  duty  was  discharged.  This  served  as  a  hint  to  others 
near  at  hand  ;  and  man  after  man  left  his  work  to  steal 
into  the  yawl,  until  every  living  being  had  disappeared 
from  the  deck  of  the  Swash,  Spike  himself  excepted.  The 
man  at  the  wheel  had  been  the  last  to  desert  his  post,  nor 
would  he  have  done  so  then,  but  for  a  signal  from  the  boat 
swain,  with  whom  he  was  a  favourite. 

It  is  certain  there  was  a  secret  desire  among  the  people 
of  the  Swash,  who  were  now  crowded  into  a  boat  not  large 
enough  to  contain  more  than  half  their  number  with  safety, 
to  push  off  from  the  brig's  side,  and  abandon  her  com- 
mauder  and  owner  to  his  fate.  All  had  passed  so  soon, 
however,  and  events  succeeded  each  other  with  so  much 
rapidity,  that  little  time  was  given  for  consultation.  Habit 
kept  them  in  their  places,  though  the  appearances  around 
them  were  strong  motives  for  taking  care  of  themselves. 

Notwithstanding  the  time  necessary  to  relate  the  fore 
going  events,  a  quarter  of  an  hour  had  not  elapsed,  from 
the  moment  when  the  Swash  entered  this  unknown  chan 
nel  among  the  rocks,  ere  she  struck.  No  sooner  was  her 
helm  deserted  than  she  broached-to,  and  Spike  was  in  the 
act  of  denouncing  the  steerage,  ignorant  of  its  cause,  when 
the  brig  was  thrown,  broadside-to,  on  a  sharp,  angular  bed 
of  rocks.  It  was  fortunate  for  the  boat,  and  all  in  it,  that 
it  was  brought  to  leeward  by  the  broaching-to  of  the  ves 
sel,  and  that  the  water  was  still  sufficiently  deep  around 
them  to  prevent  the  waves  from  breaking.  Breakers  there 
were,  however,  in  thousands,  on  every  side;  and  the  sea 
men  understood  that  their  situation  was  almost  despe 
rately  perilous,  without  shipwreck  coming  to  increase  the 
danger. 

The  storm  itself  was  scarcely  more  noisy  and  boisterous 
than  was  Spike,  when  he  ascertained  the  manner  in  which 
his  people  had  behaved.  At  first,  he  believed  it  was  their 
plan  to  abandon  him  to  his  fate;  but,  on  rushing  to  the 
lee-gangway,  Don  Juan  Montefalderon  assured  him  that  no 
such  intention  existed,  and  that  he  would  not  allow  the 

VOL.  II.  — 15 


170  JACK   TIER; 

boat  to  be  cast  off  until  the  captain  was  received  onboard. 
This  brief  respite  gave  Spike  a  moment  to  care  for  his  por 
tion  of  the  doubloons;  and  he  rushed  to  his  state-room  to 
secu.re  them,  together  with  his  quadrant. 

The  grinding  of  the  brig's  bottom  on  the  coral,  an 
nounced  a  speedy  breaking  up  of  the  craft,  while  her  com 
mander  was  thus  employed.  So  violent  were  some  of  the 
shocks  with  which  she  came  down  on  the  hard  bed  in 
which  she  was  now  cradled,  that  Spike  expected  to  see  her 
burst  asunder,  while  he  was  yet  on  her  decks.  The  crack 
ing  of  timbers  told  him  that  all  was  over  with  the  Swash, 
nor  had  he  got  back  as  far  as  the  gangway  with  his  prize, 
before  he  saw  plainly  that  the  vessel  had  broken  her  back, 
as  it  is  termed,  and  that  her  plank-sheer  was  opening  in  a 
way  that  threatened  to  permit  a  separation  of  the  craft  into 
two  sections,  one  forward  and  the  other  aft.  Notwith 
standing  all  these  portentous  proofs  that  the  minutes  of  the 
Molly  were  numbered,  and  the  danger  that  existed  of  his 
being  abandoned  by  his  crew,  Spike  paused  a  moment,  ere 
he  went  over  the  vessel's  side,  to  take  a  hasty  survey  of  the 
reef.  His  object  was  to  get  a  general  idea  of  the  position 
of  the  breakers,  with  a  view  to  avoid  them.  As  much  of 
the  interest  of  that  which  is  to  succeed  is  connected  with 
these  particular  dangers,  it  may  be  well  to  explain  their  cha 
racter,  along  with  a  few  other  points  of  a  similar  bearing. 

The  brig  had  gone  ashore  fully  two  miles  within  the  pas 
sage  she  had  entered,  and  which,  indeed,  terminated  at  the 
very  spot  where  she  had  struck.  The  Poughkeepsie  was 
standing  off  and  on,  in  the  main  channel,  with  her  boats 
in  the  water,  evidently  preparing  to  carry  the  brig  in  that 
mode.  As  for  the  breakers,  they  whitened  the  surface  of 
the  ocean  in  all  directions  around  the  wreck,  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  but  in  two.  The  passage  in  which  the  Pough 
keepsie  was  standing  to  and  fro  was  clear  of  them,  of 
course  ;  and  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  northward, 
Spike  saw  that  he  should  be  in  open  water,  or  altogether 
on  the  northern  side  of  the  reef,  could  he  only  get  there. 
The  gravest  dangers  would  exist  in  the  passage,  which  led 
among  breakers  on  all  sides,  and  very  possibly  among  rocks 
so  near  the  surface  as  absolutely  to  obstruct  the  way.  In 
one  sense,  however,  the  breakers  were  useful.  By  avoid- 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  171 

ing  them  as  much  as  possible,  and  by  keeping  in  the  un 
broken  water,  the  boat  would  be  running  in  the  channels 
of  the  reef,  and  consequently  would  be  the  safer.  The 
result  of  the  survey,  short  as  it  was,  and,  it  did  not  last  a 
minute,  was  to  give  Spike  something  like  a  plan;  and  when 
he  went  over  the  side,  and  got  into  the  boat,  it  was  with  a 
determination  to  work  his  way  out  of  the  reef  to  its  northern 
edge,  as  soon  as  possible,  and  then  to  skirt  it  as  near  as  he 
could,  in  his  flight  toward  the  Dry  Tortugas. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


The  screams  of  rage,  the  groan,  the  strife, 

The  blow,  the  grasp,  the  horrid  cry, 
The  panting,  throttled  prayer  for  life, 

The  dying's  heaving  sigh, 

The  murderer's  curse,  the  dead  man's  fixed,  still  glare, 
And  fear's  and  death's  cold  sweat — they  all  are  there. 

MATTHEW  LEE. 

IT  was  high  time  that  Captain  Spike  should  arrive  when 
his  foot  touched  the  bottom  of  the  yawl.  The  men  were 
getting  impatient  and  anxious  to  the  last  degree,  and  the 
power  of  Serior  JVlontefalderon  to  control  them  was  lessen 
ing  each  instant.  They  heard  the  rending  of  timber,  and 
the  grinding  on  the  coral,  even  more  distinctly  than  the 
captain  himself,  and  feared  that  the  brig  would  break  up 
while  they  lay  alongside  of  her,  and  crush  them  amid  the 
ruins.  Then  the  spray  of  the  seas  that  broke  over  the 
weather  side  of  the  brig,  fell  like  rain  upon  them  ;  and 
everybody  in  the  boat  was  already  as  wet  as  if  exposed  to 
a  violent  shower.  It  was  well,  therefore,  for  Spike  that  he 
desc-ended  into  the  boat  as  he  did,  for  another  minute's 
delay  might  have  brought  about  his  own  destruction. 

Spike  felt  a  chill  at  his  heart  when  he  looked  about  him 
and  saw  the  condition  of  the  yawl.  So  crowded  were  the 


172  JACK  TIER; 

stern-sheets  into  which  he  had  descended,  that  it  was  with 
difficulty  he  found  room  to  place  his  feet;  it  being  his  in 
tention  to  steer,  Jack  was  ordered  to  get  into  the  eyes  of 
the  boat,  in  order  to  give  him  a  seat.  The  thwarts  were 
crowded,  and  three  or  four  of  the  people  had  placed  them 
selves  in  the  very  bottom  of  the  little  craft,  in  order  to  be 
as  much  as  possible  out  of  the  way,  as  well  as  in  readiness 
to  bail  out  water.  So  seriously,  indeed,  were  all  the  sea 
men  impressed  with  the  gravity  of  this  last  duty,  that  nearly 
every  man  had  taken  with  him  some  vessel  fit  for  such  a 
purpose.  Rowing  was  entirely  out  of  the  question,  there 
being  no  space  for  the  movement  of  the  arms.  The  yawl 
was  too  low  in  the  water,  moreover,  for  such  an  operation 
in  so  heavy  a  sea.  In  all,  eighteen  persons  were  squeezed 
into  a  little  craft  that  would  have  been  sufficiently  loaded, 
for  moderate  weather  at  sea,  with  its  four  oarsmen  and  as 
many  sitters  in  the  stern-sheets,  with,  perhaps,  one  in  the 
eyes  to  bring  her  more  on  an  even  keel.  In  other  words, 
she  had  twice  the  weight  in  her,  in  living  freight,  that  it 
would  have  been  thought  prudent  to  receive  in  so  small  a 
craft,  in  an  ordinary  time,  in  or  out  of  a  port.  In  addition 
to  the  human  beings  enumerated,  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
baggage,  nearly  every  individual  having  had  the  forethought 
to  provide  a  few  clothes  for  a  change.  The  food  and  water 
did  not  amount  to  much,  no  more  having  been  provided 
than  enough  for  the  purposes  of  the  captain,  together  with 
the  four  men  with  whom  it  had  been  his  intention  to  aban 
don  the  brig.  The  effect  of  all  this  cargo  was  to  bring  the 
yawl  quite  low  in  the  water;  and  every  sea-faring  man  in 
her  had  the  greatest  apprehensions  about  her  being  able  to 
float  at  all  when  she  got  out  from  under  the  lee  of  the 
Swash,  or  into  the  troubled  water.  Try  it  she  must,  how 
ever,  and  Spike,  in  a  reluctant  and  hesitating  manner,  gave 
the  final  order  to  "  Shove  off!" 

The  yawl  carried  a  lugg,  as  is  usually  the  case  with  boats 
at  sea,  and  the  first  blast  of  the  breeze  upon  it  satisfied 
Spike  that  his  present  enterprise  was  one  of  the  most  dan 
gerous  of  any  in  which  he  had  ever  been  engaged.  The 
puffs  of  wind  were  quite  as  much  as  the  boat  would  bear; 
but  this  he  did  not  mind,  as  he  was  running  off  before  it, 
and  there  was  little  danger  of  the  yawl  capsizing  with  such 


OR,     TUB     FLORIDA     REEF.  173 

a  weight  in  her.  It  was  also  an  advantage  to  have  swift 
way  on,  to  prevent  the  combing  waves  from  shooting  into 
the  boat,  though  the  wind  itself  scarce  outstrips  the  send 
of  the  sea  in  a  stiff  blow.  As  the  yawl  cleared  the  brig 
and  began  to  feel  the  united  power  of  the  wind  and  waves, 
the  following  short  dialogue  occurred  between  the  boat 
swain  and  Spike. 

"  I  dare  not  keep  my  eyes  off  the  breakers  ahead/'  the 
captain  commenced,  "  and  must  trust  to  you,  Strand,  to 
report  what  is  going  on  among  the  man-of-war's  men. 
What  is  the  ship  about?" 

"Reefing  her  top-sails  just  now,  sir.  All  three  are  on 
the  caps,  and  the  vessel  is  laying-to,  in  a  manner." 

"And  her  boats?" 

"  I  see  none,  sir  —  ay,  ay,  there  they  come  from  along 
side  of  her  in  a  little  fleet !  There  are  four  of  them,  sir, 
and  all  are  coming  down  before  the  wind;  wing  and  wing, 
carrying  their  Itiggs  reefed." 

"  Ours  ought  to  be  reefed  by  rights,  too,  but  we  dare 
not  stop  to  do  it ;  and  these  infernal  combing  seas  seem 
ready  to  glance  aboard  us  with  all  the  way  we  can  gather. 
Stand  by  to  bail,  men ;  we  must  pass  through  a  strip  of 
white  water — there  is  no  help  for  it.  God  send  that  we  go 
clear  of  the  rocks  !" 

All  this  was  fearfully  true.  The  adventurers  were  not 
yet  more  than  a  cable's  length  from  the  brig,  and  they  found 
themselves  so  completely  environed  with  the  breakers  as  to 
be  compelled  to  go  through  them.  No  man  in  his  senses 
would  ever  have  come  into  such  a  place  at  all,  except  in 
the  most  unavoidable  circumstances;  and  it  was  with  a 
species  of  despair  that  the  seamen  of  the  yawl  now  saw 
tneir  little  craft  go  plunging  into  the  foam. 

But  Spike  neglected  no  precaution  that  experience  or 
skill  could  suggest.  He  had  chosen  his  spot  with  coolness 
and  judgment.  As  the  boat  rose  on  the  seas  he  looked 
eagerly  ahead,  and  by  giving  it  a  timely  sheer,  he  hit  a  sort 
of  channel,  where  there  was  sufficient  water  to  carry  them 
clear  of  the  rock,  arid  where  the  breakers  were  less  dan 
gerous  than  in  the  shoaler  places.  The  passage  lasted 
about  a  minute;  and  so  serious  was  it,  that  scarce  an  indi 
vidual  breathed  until  it  was  effected.  No  human  skill 
15* 


174  JACK  TIER; 

could  prevent  the  water  from  combing  in  over  the  gun 
wales ;  and  when  the  danger  was  passed,  the  yawl  was  a 
third  filled  with  water.  There  was  no  time  or  place  to 
pause,  but  on  the  little  craft  was  dragged  almost  gunwale 
to,  the  breeze  coming  against  the  lugg  in  puffs  that  threat 
ened  to  take  the  mast  out  of  her.  All  hands  were  bailing; 
and  even  Biddy  used  her  hands  to  aid  in  throwing  out  the 
water. 

"  This  is  no  time  to  hesitate,  men,"  said  Spike,  sternly. 
"  Everything  must  go  overboard  but  the  food  and  water. 
Away  with  them  at  once,  and  with  a  will." 

It  was  a  proof  how  completely  all  hands  were  alarmed 
by  this,  the  first  experiment  in  the  breakers,  that  not  a  man 
stayed  his  hand  a  single  moment,  but  each  threw  into  the 
sea,  without  an  instant  of  hesitation,  every  article  he  had 
brought  with  him  and  had  hoped  to  save.  Biddy  parted 
with  the  carpet-bag,  and  Senor  Morxefalderon,  feeling  the 
importance  of  example,  committed  to  the  deep  a  small 
writing-desk  that  he  had  placed  on  his  knees.  The  doub 
loons  alone  remained,  safe  in  a  little  locker  where  Spike 
had  deposited  them  along  with  his  own. 

"What  news  astern,  boatswain?"  demanded  the  cap 
tain,  as  soon  as  this  imminent  danger  was  passed,  absolutely 
afraid  to  turn  his  eyes  off  the  dangers  ahead  for  a  single 
instant.  "  How  come  on  the  man-of-war's  men  ?" 

"  They  are  running  down  in  a  body  toward  the  wreck, 
though  one  of  their  boats  does  seem  to  be  sheering  out  of 
the  lino,  as  if  getting  into  our  wake.  It  is  hard  to  say,  sir, 
for  they  are  still  a  good  bit  to  windward  of  the  wreck." 

"And  the  Molly,  Strand?"  >^ 

"  Why,  sir,  the  Molly  seeirls  to  be  breaking  up  fast ;  as 
well  as  I  can  see,  she  has  broke  in  two  just  abaft  the  fore- 
chains,  and  cannot  hold  together  in  any  shape  at  all  many 
minutes  longer." 

This  information  drew  a  deep  groan  from  Spike,  and  the 
eye  of  every  seaman  in  the  boat  was  turned  in  melancholy 
on  the  object  they  were  so  fast  leaving  behind  them.  The 
yawl  could  not  be  said  to  be  sailing  very  rapidly,  consider- 
ing  the  power  of  the  wind,  which  was  a  little  gale,  for  she 
was  much  too  deep  for  that,  but  she  left  the  wreck  so  fast 
as  already  to  render  objects  on  board  her  indistinct.  Every* 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  175 

body  saw  that,  like  an  overburthened  steed,  she  had  more 
to  get  along  with  than  she  could  well  bear;  and,  depend 
ent  as  seamen  usually  are  on  the  judgment  and  orders  of 
their  superiors,  even  in  the  direst  emergencies,  the  least 
experienced  man  in  her  saw  that  their  chances  of  final 
escape  from  drowning  were  of  the  most  doubtful  nature. 
The  men  looked  at  each  other  in  a  way  to  express  their  feel 
ings  ;  and  the  moment  seemed  favourable  to  Spike  to  con 
fer  with  his  confidential  sea-dogs  in  private ;  but  more 
white  water  was  also  ahead,  and  it  was  necessary  to  pass 
through  it,  since  no  opening  was  visible  by  which  to  avoid 
it.  He  deferred  his  purpose,  consequently,  until  this  dan 
ger  was  escaped. 

On  this  occasion  Spike  saw  but  little  opportunity  to 
select  a  place  to  get  through  the  breakers,  though  the 
spot,  as  a  whole,  was  not  of  the  most  dangerous  kind.  The 
reader  will  understand  that  the  preservation  of  the  boat  at 
all,  in  white  water,  was  owing  to  the  circumstance  that  the 
rocks  all  around  it  lay  so  near  the  surface  of  the  sea  as  to 
prevent  the  possibility  of  agitating  the  element  very  serious 
ly,  and  to  the  fact  that  she  was  near  the  lee  side  of  the  reef. 
Had  the  breakers  been  of  the  magnitude  of  those  which 
are  seen  where  the  deep  rolling  billows  of  the  ocean  first 
meet  the  weather  side  of  shoals  or  rocks,  a  craft  of  that 
size,  and  so  loaded,  could  not  possibly  have  passed  the  first 
line  of  white  water  without  filling.  As  it  was,  however, 
the  breakers  she  had  to  contend  with  were  sufficiently  for 
midable,  and  they  brought  with  them  the  certainty  that  the 
boat  was  in  imminent  danger  of  striking  the  bottom  at  any 
moment.  Places  like  those  in  which  Mulford  had  waded 
on  the  reef,  while  it  was  calm,  would  now  have  proved 
fatal  to  the  strongest  frame,  since  human  powers  were  in 
sufficient  long  to  withstand  the  force  of  such  waves  as  did 
glance  over  even  these  shallows. 

"Look  out!"  cried  Spike,  as  the  boat  again  plunged 
in  among  the  white  water.  "  Keep  bailing,  men  —  keep 
bailing." 

The  men  did  bail,  and  the  danger  was  over  almost,  as 
soon  as  encountered.  Something  like  a  cheer  burst  out 
of  the  chest  of  Spike,  when  he  saw  deeper  water  around 
him,  and  fancied  he  could  now  trace  a  channel  that  would 


176  JACK   TIER; 

carry  him  quite  beyond  the  extent  of  the  reef.  It  was  ar 
rested,  only  half  uttered,  however,  by  a  communication 
from  the  boatswain,  who  sat  on  a  midship  thwart,  his  arms 
foided,  and  his  eye  on  the  brig  and  the  boats. 

"  There  goes  the  Molly's  masts,  sir !  Both  have  gone 
together ;  and  as  good  sticks  was  they,  before  them  bomb 
shells  passed  through  our  rigging,  as  was  ever  stepped  in  a 
keelson." 

The  cheer  was  changed  to  something  like  a  groan,  while 
a  murmur  of  regret  passed  through  the  boat. 

"What  news  from  the  man-of-war's  men,  boatswain? 
Do  they  still  stand  down  on  a  mere  wreck  f 

"  No,  sir ;  they  seem  to  give  it  up,  and  are  getting  out 
their  oars  to  pull  back  to  their  ship.  A  pretty  time  they  '11 
have  of  it,  too.  The  cutter  that  gets  to  windward  half  a 
mile  in  an  hour,  ag'in  such  a  sea,  and  such  a  breeze,  must 
be  well  pulled  and  better  steered.  One  chap,  however, 
sir,  seems  to  hold  on." 

Spike  now  ventured  to  look  behind  him,  commanding 
an  experienced  hand  to  take  the  helm.  In  order  to  do  this 
he  was  obliged  to  change  places  with  the  man  he  had 
selected  to  come  aft,  which  brought  him  on  a  thwart  along 
side  of  the  boatswain  arid  one  or  two  other  of  his  con 
fidants.  Here  a  whispered  conference  took  place,  which 
lasted  several  minutes,  Spike  appearing  to  be  giving  in 
structions  to  the  men. 

By  this  time  the  yawl  was  more  than  a  mile  from  the 
wreck,  all  the  man-of-war  boats  but  one  had  lowered  their 
sails,  and  were  pulling  slowly  and  with  great  labour  back 
toward  the  ship,  the  cutter  that  kept  on,  evidently  laying 
her  course  after  the  yawl,  instead  of  standing  on  toward 
the  wreck.  The  brig  was  breaking  up  fast,  with  every 
probability  that  nothing  would  be  left  of  her  in  a  few  more 
minutes.  As  for  the  yawl,  while  clear  of  the  white  water, 
it  got  along  without  receiving  many  seas  aboard,  though 
the  men  in  its  bottom  were  kept  bailing  without  intermis 
sion.  It  appeared  to  Spike  that  so  long  as  they  remained 
on  the  reef,  and  could  keep  clear  of  breakers — a  most  diffi 
cult  thing,  however — they  should  fare  better  than  if  in 
deeper  water,  where  the  swell  of  the  sea,  and  the  combing 
of  the  waves,  menaced  so  small  and  so  deep-loaded  a  craft 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  177 

with  serious  danger.  As  it  was,  two  or  three  men  could 
barely  keep  the  boat  clear,  working  incessantly,  and  much 
of  the  time  with  a  foot  or  two  of  water  in  her. 

Josh  and  Simon  had  taken  their  seats,  side  by  side,  with 
that  sort  of  dependence  and  submission  that  causes  the 
American  black  to  abstain  from  mingling  with  the  whites 
more  than  might  appear  seemly.  They  were  squeezed  on 
to  one  end  of  the  thwart  by  a  couple  of  robust  old  sea-dogs, 
who  were  two  of  the  very  men  with  whom  Spike  had  been 
in  consultation.  Beneath  that  very  thwart  was  stowed 
another  confidant,  to  whom  communications  had  also  been 
made.  These  men  had  sailed  long  in  the  Swash,  and 
having  been  picked  up  in  various  ports,  from  time  to  time, 
as  the  brig  had  wanted  hands,  they  were  of  nearly  as  many 
different  nations  as  they  were  persons.  Spike  had  ob 
tained  a  great  ascendency  over  them  by  habit  and  author 
ity,  and  his  suggestions  were  now  received  as  a  sort  of  law. 
As  soon  as  the  conference  was  ended,  the  captain  returned 
to  the  helm. 

A  minute  more  passed,  during  which  the  captain  was 
anxiously  surveying  the  reef  ahead,  arid  the  state  of  things 
astern.  Ahead  was  more  white  water — the  last  before  they 
should  get  clear  of  the  reef;  and  astern  it  was  now  settled 
that  the  cutter  that  held  on  through  the  dangers  of  the 
place,  was  in  chase  of  the  yawl.  That  Mulford  was  in  her 
Spike  made  no  doubt;  and  the  thought  embittered  even 
his  present  calamities.  But  the  moment  had  arrived  for 
something  decided.  The  white  water  ahead  was  much 
more  formidable  than  any  they  had  passed :  and  the  bold 
est  seamen  there  gazed  at  it  with  dread.  Spike  made  a 
sign  to  th«  boatswain,  and  commenced  the  execution  of  his 
dire  project. 

"  I  say,  you  Josh,"  called  out  the  captain,  in  the  authori 
tative  tones  that  are  so  familiar  to  all  on  board  a  ship, 
"pull  in  that  fender  that  is  dragging  alongside." 

Josh  leaned  over  the  gunwale,  and  reported  that  there 
was  no  fender  out.  A  malediction  followed,  also  so  fami 
liar  to  those  acquainted  with  ships,  and  the  black  was  told 
to  look  again.  This  time,  as  had  been  expected,  the  negro 
leaned  with  his  head  and  body  far  over  the  side  of  the  yawl, 
to  look  for  that  which  had  no  existence,  when  two  of  the 


1*78  JACK  TIER; 

men  beneath  the  thwart  shoved  his  legs  after  them.  Josh 
screamed,  as  he  found  himself  going  into  the  water,  with 
a  sort  of  confused  consciousness  of  the  truth ;  and  Spike 
called  out  to  Simon  to  "  catch  hold  of  his  brother-nigger." 
The  cook  bent  forward  to  obey,  when  a  similar  assault  on 
his  legs  from  beneath  the  thwart,  sent  him  headlong  after 
Josh.  One  of  the  younger  seamen,  who  was  not  in  the 
secret,  sprang  up  to  rescue  Simon,  who  grasped  his  extended 
hand,  when  the  too  generous  fellow  was  pitched  headlong 
from  the  boat. 

All  this  occurred  in  less  than  ten  seconds  of  time,  and 
so  unexpectedly  and  naturally,  that  not  a  soul  beyond  those 
who  were  in  the  secret,  had  the  least  suspicion  it  was  any 
thing  but  an  accident.  Some  water  was  shipped,  of  neces 
sity,  but  the  boat  was  soon  bailed  free.  As  for  the  victims 
of  this  vile  conspiracy,  they  disappeared  amid  the  troubled 
waters  of  the  reef,  struggling  with  each  other.  Each  and 
all  met  the  common  fate  so  much  the  sooner,  from  the 
manner  in  which  they  impeded  their  own  efforts. 

The  yawl  was  now  relieved  from  about  five  hundred 
pounds  of  the  weight  it  had  carried — Simon  weighing  two 
hundred  alone,  and  the  youngish  seaman  being  large  and 
full.  So  intense  does  human  selfishness  get  to  be,  in 
moments  of  great  emergency,  that  it  is  to  be  feared  most 
of  those  who  remained,  secretly  rejoiced  that  they  were  so 
far  benefited  by  the  loss  of  their  fellows.  The  Sefior 
Montefalderon  was  seated  on  the  aftermost  thwart,  with  his 
legs  in  the  stern-sheets,  and  consequently  with  his  back 
toward  the  negroes,  and  he  fully  believed  that  what  had 
happened  was  purely  accidental. 

"  Let  us  lower  our  sail,  Don  Esteban,"  he  cried,  eagerly, 
"  and  save  the  poor  fellows." 

Something  very  like  a  sneer  gleamed  on  the  dark  coun 
tenance  of  the  captain,  but  it  suddenly  changed  to  a  look 
of  assent. 

"  Good  !"  he  said,  hastily — "  spring  forward,  Don  Wan, 
and  lower  the  sail — stand  by  the  oars,  men  !" 

Without  pausing  to  reflect,  the  generous-hearted  Mexi 
can  stepped  on  a  thwart,  and  began  to  walk  rapidly  forward, 
steadying  himself  by  placing  his  hands  on  the  heads  of  the 
men.  He  was  suffered  to  get  as  far  as  the  second  thwart 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  179 

or  past  most  of  the  conspirators,  when  his  legs  were  seized 
from  behind.  The  truth  now  flashed  on  him,  and  grasping 
two  of  the  men  in  his  front,  who  knew  nothing  of  Spike's 
dire  scheme,  he  endeavoured  to  save  himself  by  holding  to 
their  jackets.  Thus  assailed,  those  men  seized  others 
with  like  intent,  and  an  awful  struggle  filled  all  that  part 
of  the  craft.  At  this  dread  instant  the  boat  glanced  into 
the  white  water,  shipping  so  much  of  the  element  as  nearly 
to  swamp  her,  and  taking  so  wild  a  sheer  as  nearly  to 
broach-to.  This  last  circumstance  probably  saved  her, 
fearful  as  was  the  danger  for  the  moment.  Everybody  in 
the  middle  of  the  yawl  was  rendered  desperate  by  the 
amount  and  nature  of  the  danger  incurred,  and  the  men 
from  the  bottom  rose  in  their  might,  underneath  the  com 
batants,  when  a  common  plunge  was  made  by  all  who  stood 
erect,  one  dragging  overboard  another,  each  a  good  deal 
hastened  by  the  assault  from  beneath,  until  no  less  than 
five  were  gone.  Spike  got  his  helm  up,  the  boat  fell  off, 
arid  away  from  the  spot  it  flew,  clearing  the  breakers,  and 
reaching  the  northern  wall-like  margin  of  the  reef  at  the 
next  instant.  There  was  now  a  moment  when  those  who 
remained  could  breathe,  and  dared  to  look  behind  them. 

The  great  plunge  had  been  made  in  water  so  shoal,  that 
the  boat  had  barely  escaped  being  dashed  to  pieces  on  the 
coral.  Had  it  not  been  so  suddenly  relieved  from  the 
pressure  of  near  a  thousand  pounds  in  weight,  it  is  pro 
bable  that  this  calamity  would  have  befallen  it,  the  water 
received  on  board  contributing  so  much  to  weigh  it  down. 
The  struggle  between  these  victims  ceased,  however,  the 
moment  they  went  over.  Finding  bottom  for  their  feet, 
they  released  each  other,  in  a  desperate  hope  of  prolonging 
life  by  wading.  Two  or  three  held  out  their  arms,  and 
shouted  to  Spike  to  return  and  pick  them  up.  This  dread 
ful  scene  lasted  but  a  single  instant,  for  the  waves  dashed 
one  after  another  from  his  feet,  continually  forcing  them 
all,  as  they  occasionally  regained  their  footing,  toward  the 
margin  of  the  reef,  and  finally  washing  them  off  it  into 
deep  water.  No  human  power  could  enable  a  man  to  swim 
back  to  the  rocks,  once  to  leeward  of  them,  in  the  face  of 
such  seas,  and  so  heavy  a  blow ;  and  the  miserable  wretches 


180  JACK  TIER; 

disappeared  in  succession,  as  their  strength  became  ex 
hausted,  in  the  depths  of  the  Gulf. 

Not  a  word  had  been  uttered  while  this  terrific  scene 
was  in  the  course  of  occurrence;  not  a  word  was  uttered 
for  some  time  afterward.  Gleams  of  grim  satisfaction  had 
been  seen  on  the  countenances  of  the  boatswain  and  his 
associates,  when  the  success  of  their  nefarious  project  was 
first  assured  ;  but  they  soon  disappeared  in  looks  of  horror, 
as  they  witnessed  the  struggles  of  the  drowning  men. 
Nevertheless,  human  selfishness  was  strong  within  them 
all,  and  none  there  was  so  ignorant  as  not  to  perceive  how 
much  better  were  the  chances  of  the  yawl  now  than  it  had 
been  on  quitting  the  wreck.  The  weight  of  a  largn  ox 
had  been  taken  from  it,  counting  that  of  all  the  eight  men 
drowned ;  and  as  for  the  water  shipped,  it  was  soon  bailed 
back  again  into  the  sea.  Not  only,  therefore,  was  the 
yawl  in  a  better  condition  to  resist  the  waves,  but  it  sailed 
materially  faster  thanw  it  had  <!one  before.  Ten  persona 
still  remained  in  it,  however,  which  brought  it  down  in  the 
water  below  its  proper  load-line ;  and  the  speed  of  a  craft 
so  small  was  necessarily  a  good  deal  lessened  by  the  least 
deviation  from  its  best  sailing,  or  rowing  trim.  But  Spike's 
projects  were  not  yet  completed. 

All  this  time  the  man-of-war's  cutter  had  been  rushing 
as  madly  through  the  breakers,  in  chase,  as  the  yawl  had 
done  in  the  attempt  to  escape.  Mulford  was,  in  fact,  on 
board  it;  and  his  now  fast  friend,  Wallace,  was  in  com 
mand.  The  latter  wished  to  seize  a  traitor,  the  former  to 
save  the  aunt  of  his  weeping  bride.  Both  believed  that 
they  might  follow  wherever  Spike  dared  to  lead.  This 
reasoning  was  more  bold  than  judicious  notwithstanding, 
since  the  cutter  was  much  larger,  and  drew  twice  as  much 
water  as  the  yawl.  On  it  came,  nevertheless,  faring  much 
better  in  the  white  water  than  the  little  craft  it  pursued, 
but  necessarily  running  a  much  more  considerable  risk  of 
hitting  the  coral,  over  which  it  was  glancing  almost  as 
swiftly  as  the  waves  themselves ;  still  it  had  thus  far 
escaped — and  little  did  any  in  it  think  of  the  danger.  This 
cutter  pulled  ten  oars ;  was  an  excellent  sea  boat ;  had  four 
armed  marines  in  it,  in  addition  to  its  crew,  but  carried  all 
through  the  breakers,  receiving  scarcely  a  drop  of  water 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  181 

on  board,  on  account  of  the  height  of  its  wash-boards,  and 
the  general  qualities  of  the  craft.  It  may  be  well  to  add 
here,  that  the  Poughkeepsie  had  shaken  out  her  reefs,  and 
was  betraying  the  impatience  of  Captain  Mull  to  make  sail 
in  chase,  by  firing  signal-guns  to  his  boats  to  bear  a  hand 
and  return.  These  signals  the  three  boats  under  their  oars 
were  endeavouring  to  obey,  but  Wallace  had  got  so  far  to 
leeward  as  now  to  render  the  course  he  was  pursuing  the 
wisest. 

Mrs.  Budd  and  Biddy  had  seen  the  struggle  in  which 
the  Senor  Montefalderon  had  been  lost,  in  a  sort  of  stupid 
horror.  Both  had  screamed,  as  was  their  wont,  though 
neither  probably  suspected  the  truth.  But  the  fell  designs 
of  Spike  extended  to  them,  as  well  as  to  those  whom  he 
had  already  destroyed.  Now  the  boat  was  in  deep  water, 
running  along  the  margin  of  the  reef,  the  waves  were  much 
increased  in  magnitude,  and  the  comb  of  the  sea  was  far 
more  menacing  to  the  boat.  This  would  not  have  been 
the  case  had  the  rocks  formed  a  lee  ;  but  they  did  not, 
running  too  near  the  direction  of  the  trades  to  prevent  the 
billows  that  got  up  a  mile  or  so  in  the  o fling,  from  sending 
their  swell  quite  home  to  the  reef.  It  was  this  swell,  in 
deed,  which  caused  the  line  of  white  water  along  the  nor 
thern  margin  of  the  coral,  washing  on  the  rocks  by  a  sort 
of  lateral  effort,  and  breaking,  as  a  matter  of  course.  In 
many  places,  no  boat  could  have  lived  to  pass  through  it. 

Another  consideration  influenced  Spike  to  persevere. 
The  cutter  had  been  overhauling  him,  hand  over  hand,  but 
since  the  yawl  was  relieved  of  the  weight  of  no  less  than 
eight  men,  the  difference  in  the  rate  of  sailing  was  mani 
festly  diminished.  The  man-of-war's  boat  drew  nearer, 
but  by  no  means  as  fast  as  it  had  previously  done.  A 
point  was  now  reached  in  the  trim  of  the  yawl,  when  a 
very  few  hundreds  in  weight  might  make  the  most  import 
ant  change  in  her  favour;  and  this  change  the  captain  was 
determined  to  produce.  By  this  time  the  cutter  was  in 
deep  water,  as  well  as  himself,  safe  through  all  the  dangers 
of  the  reef,  and  she  was  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  astern. 
On  the  whole,  she  was  gaining,  though  so  slowly  as  to  re 
quire  the  most  experienced  eye  to  ascertain  the  fact. 

"  Madame  Budd,"  said  Spike,  in  a  hypocritical  tone, 

VOL.  II.  —  16 


182  JACK     TIER6, 

**  we  are  in  great  danger,  and  I  shall  have  to  ask  you  to 
change  your  seat.  The  boat  is  too  much  by  the  starn, 
now  we've  got  into  deep  water,  and  your  weight  amidships 
would  be  a  great  relief  to  us.  Just  give  your  hand  to  the 
boatswain,  and  he  will  help  you  to  step  from  thwart  to 
thwart,  until  you  reach  the  right  place,  when  Biddy  shall 
follow." 

Now  Mrs.  Budd  had  witnessed  the  tremendous  struggle 
in  which  so  many  had  gone  overboard,  but  so  dull  was  she 
of  apprehension,  and  so  little  disposed  to  suspect  anything 
one-half  so  monstrous  as  the  truth,  that  she  did  not  hesitate 
to  comply.  She  was  profoundly  awed  by  the  horrors  of 
the  scene  through  which  she  was  passing,  the  raging  bil 
lows  of  the  Gulf,  as  seen  from  so  small  a  craft,  producing 
a  deep  impression  on  her  ;  still  a  lingering  of  her  most  in 
veterate  affectation  was  to  be  found  in  her  air  and  lan 
guage,  which  presented  a  strange  medley  of  besetting  weak 
ness,  and  strong,  natural,  womanly  affection. 

"  Certainly,  Captain  Spike,"  she  answered,  rising.  "  A 
craft  should  never  go  astern,  and  I  am  quite  willing  to  bal 
last  the  boat.  We  have  seen  such  terrible  accidents  to 
day,  that  all  should  lend  their  aid  in  endeavouring  to  get 
under  way,  and  in  averting  all  possible  hamper.  Only 
take  me  to  my  poor,  dear  Rosy,  Captain  Spike,  and  every 
thing  shall  be  forgotten  that  has  passed  between  us.  This 
is  not  a  moment  to  bear  malice;  and  I  freely  pardon  you 
all  and  everything.  The  fate  of  our  unfortunate  friend, 
Mr.  Montefalderon,  should  teach  us  charity,  and  cause  us 
to  prepare  for  untimely  ends." 

All  the  time  the  good  widow  was  making  this  speech, 
which  she  uttered  in  a  solemn  and  oracular  sort  of  manner, 
she  was  moving  slowly  toward  the  seat  the  men  had  pre 
pared  for  her,  in  the  middle  of  the  boat,  assisted  with  the 
greatest  care  and  attention  by  the  boatswain  and  another 
of  Spike's  confidants.  When  on  the  second  thwart  from 
aft,  and  about  to  take  her  seat,  the  boatswain  cast  a  look 
behind  him,  and  Spike  put  the  helm  down.  The  boat 
luffed  and  lurched,  of  course,  and  Mrs.  Budd  would  pro 
bably  have  gone  overboard  to  leeward,  by  so  sudden  and 
violent  a  change,  had  not  the  impetus  thus  received  been 
aided  by  the  arms  of  the  men  who  held  her  two  hands. 


OK,   T  IIS    FLORIDA    REEF.  183 


The  plunge  she  made  into  the  water  was  deep,  for  she  was 
a  woman  of  great  weight  for  her  stature.  Still,  she  was 
not  immediately  gotten  rid  of.  Even  at  that  dread  instant, 
it  is  probable  that  the  miserable  woman  did  not  suspect 
the  truth,  for  she  grasped  the  hand  of  the  boatswain  with- 
the  tenacity  of  a  vice,  and,  thus  dragged  on  the  surface  of 
the  boiling  surges,  she  screamed  aloud  for  Spike  to  save 
her.  Of  all  who  had  yet  been  sacrificed  to  the  captain's 
selfish  wish  to  save  himself,  this  was  the  first  instance  in 
which  any  had  been  heard  to  utter  a  sound,  after  falling 
into  the  sea.  The  appeal  shocked  even  the  rude  beings 
around  her,  and  Biddy  chiming  in  with  a  powerful  appeal 
to  "  save  the  missus  !"  added  to  the  piteous  nature  of  the 
scene. 

"  Cast  off  her  hand,33  said  Spike  reproachfully,  "she'll 
swamp  the  boat  by  her  struggles  —  get  rid  of  her  at  once  ! 
Cut  her  fingers  off,  if  she  wont  let  go  !" 

The  instant  these  brutal  orders  were  given,  and  that  in 
a  fierce,  impatient  tone,  the  voice  of  Biddy  was  heard  no 
more.  The  truth  forced  itself  on  her  dull  imagination, 
and  she  sat  a  witness  of  the  terrible  scene,  in  mute  despair. 
The  struggle  did  not  last  long.  The  boatswain  drew  h\3 
knife  across  the  wrist  of  the  hand  that  grasped  his  own, 
one  shriek  was  heard,  and  the  boat  plunged  into  the  trough 
of  a  sea,  leaving  the  form  of  poor  Mrs.  Budd  struggling 
with  the  wave  on  its  summit,  and  amid  the  foam  of  its 
crest.  This  was  the  last  that  was  ever  seen  of  the  unfor 
tunate  relict. 

"  The  boat  has  gained  a  good  deal  by  that  last  discharge 
of  cargo,"  said  Spike  to  the  boatswain,  a  minute  after  they 
had  gotten  rid  of  the  struggling  woman  —  "  she  is  much 
more  lively,  and  is  getting  nearer  to  her  load-line.  If  we 
can  bring  her  to  that,  I  shall  have  no  fear  of  the  man-of- 
war's  men  ;  for  this  yawl  is  one  of  the  fastest  boats  that 
ever  floated." 

"  A  very  little  now,  sir,  would  brincr  us  to  our  true 
trim." 

"  Ay,  we  must  get  rid  of  more  cargo.  Come,  good 
woman,"  turning  to  Biddy,  with  whom  he  did  not  think  it 
worth  his  while  to  use  much  circumlocution,  "your  turn 
is  next.  It's  the  maid's  duty  to  follow  her  mistress." 


184  JACK  TIER; 

"  I  know'd  it  must  come,"  said  Biddy,  meekly.  "  If  there 
was  no  mercy  for  the  missus,  little  could  I  look  for.  But 
ye'll  not  take  the  life  of  a  Christian  woman  widout  giving 
her  so  much  as  one  minute  to  say  her  prayers'?" 

"  Ay,  pray  away,"  answered  Spike,  his  throat  becoming 
dry  and  husky,  for,  strange  to  say,  the  submissive  quiet  of 
the  Irish  woman,  so  different  from  the  struggle  he  had  an 
ticipated  with  her,  rendered  him  more  reluctant  to  proceed 
than  he  had  hitherto  been  in  all  of  that  terrible  day.  As 
Biddy  kneeled  in  the  bottom  of  the  stern-sheets,  Spike 
looked  behind  him,  for  the  double  purpose  of  escaping  the 
painful  spectacle  at  his  feet,  and  that  of  ascertaining  how 
his  pursuers  came  on.  The  last  still  gained,  though  very 
slowly,  and  doubts  began  to  come  over  the  captain's  mind 
whether  he  could  escape  such  enemies  at  all.  He  was  too 
deeply  committed,  however,  to  recede,  and  it  was  most 
desirable  to  get  rid  of  poor  Biddy,  if  it  were  for  no  other 
motive  than  to  shut  her  mouth.  Spike  even  fancied  that 
some  idea  of  what  had  passed  was  entertained  by  those  in 
the  cutter.  There  was  evidently  a  stir  in  that  boat,  and 
two  forms  that  he  had  no  difficulty,  now,  in  recognizing  us 
those  of  Wallace  and  Mulford,  were  standing  on  the  gra 
ting  in  the  eyes  of  the  cutter,  or  forward  of  the  foresail. 
The  former  appeared  to  have  a  musket  in  his  hand,  and 
the  other  a  glass.  The  last  circumstance  admonished  him 
that  all  that  was  now  done  would  be  done  before  dangerous 
witnesses.  It  was  too  late  to  draw  back,  however,  and  the 
captain  turned  to  look  for  the  Irish  woman. 

Biddy  arose  from  her  knees,  just  as  Spike  withdrew  his 
eyes  from  his  pursuers.  The  boatswain  and  another  con 
fidant  were  in  readiness  to  cast  the  poor  creature  into  the 
sea,  the  moment  their  leader  gave  the  signal.  The  in 
tended  victim  saw  and  understood  the  arrangement,  and 
she  spoke  earnestly  and  piteously  to  her  murderers. 

"  It 's  not  wanting  will  be  violence!"  said  Biddy,  in  a 
quiet  tone,  but  with  a  saddened  countenance.  "  I  know 
it  Js  my  turn,  and  I  will  save  yer  sowls  from  a  part  of  the 
burden  of  this  great  sin.  God,  and  His  Divine  Son,  and 
the  Blessed  Mother  of  Jesus  have  mercy  on  me  if  it  be 
wrong  ;  but  I  would  far  radder  jump  into  the  saa  widout 
having  the  rude  hands  of  man  on  me,  than  have  the  dread- 


OR,    THE      FLORIDA     REEF.  185 

ful  sight  of  the  missus  done  over  ag'in.  It 's  a  fearful  thing 
is  wather,  and  sometimes  we  have  too  little  of  it,  and  some 
times  more  than  we  want — " 

"  Bear  a  hand,  bear  a  hand,  good  woman,"  interrupted 
the  boatswain,  impatiently.  "  We  must  clear  the  boat  of 
you,  and  the  sooner  it  is  done  the  better  it  will  be  for  all 
of  us." 

"  Don't  grudge  a  poor  mortbal  half  a  minute  of  life,  at 
the  last  moment,"  answered  Biddy.  "  It's  not  long  that 
1  '11  throuble  ye,  and  so  no  more  need  be  said." 

The  poor  creature  then  got  on  the  quarter  of  the  boat, 
without  any  one's  touching  her ;  there  she  placed  herself 
with  her  legs  outboard,  while  she  sat  on  the  gunwale.  She 
gave  one  moment  to  the  thought  of  arranging  her  clothes 
with  womanly  decency,  and  then  she  paused  to  gaze  with 
a  fixed  eye,  and  pallid  cheek,  on  the  foaming  wake  that 
marked  the  rapid  course  of  the  boat.  The  troughs  of  the 
sea  eeemed  less  terrible  to  her  than  their  combing  crests, 
and  she  waited  for  the  boat  to  descend  into  the  next. 

"God  forgive  ye  all,  this  deed,  as  I  do!"  said  Biddy, 
earnestly,  and  bending  her  person  forward,  she  fell,  as  it 
might  be  "  without  hands,"  into  the  gulf  of  eternity. 
Though  all  strained  their  eyes,  none  of  the  men,  Jack  Tier 
excepted,  ever  saw  more  of  Biddy  Noon.  Nor  did  Jack 
see  much.  He  got  a  frightful  glimpse  of  an  arm,  however, 
on  the  summit  of  a  wave,  but  the  motion  of  the  boat  was 
too  swift,  and  the  water  of  the  ocean  too  troubled,  to  admit 
of  aught  else. 

A  long  pause  succeeded  this  event.  Biddy's  quiet  sub 
mission  to  her  fate  had  produced  more  impression  on  her 
murderers  than  the  desperate,  but  unavailing,  struggles  of 
those  who  had  preceded  her.  Thus  it  is  ever  with  men. 
When  opposed,  the  demon  within  blinds  them  to  conse 
quences  as  well  as  to  their  duties;  but,  unresisted,  the 
silent  influence  of  the  image  of  God  makes  itself  felt,  and 
a  better  spirit  begins  to  prevail.  There  was  not  one  in 
that  boat  who  did  not,  for  a  brief  space,  wish  that  poor 
Biddy  had  been  spared.  With  most,  that  feeling,  the  last 
of  human  kindness  they  ever  knew,  lingered  until  the  oc 
currence  of  the  dread  catastrophe  which,  so  shortly  after, 
closed  the  scene  of  this  state  of  being  on  their  eyes. 
16* 


186  JACK  TIER; 

"  Jack  Tier,"  called  out  Spike,  some  five  minutes  after 
Biddy  was  drowned,  but  not  until  another  observation  had 
made  it  plainly  apparent  to  him  that  the  man-of-war's  men 
still  continued  to  draw  nearer,  being  now  not  more  than 
fair  musket- shot  astern. 

<;  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  answered  Jack,  coming  quietly  out  of  his 
hole,  from  forward  of  the  mast,  and  moving  aft  as  if  indif 
ferent  to  the  danger,  by  stepping  lightly  from  thwart  to 
thwart,  until  he  reached  the  stern-sheets. 

'*  It  is  your  turn,  little  Jack,"  said  Spike,  as  if  in  a  sort 
of  sorrowful  submission  to  a  necessity  that  knew  no  law, 
"  we  cannot  spare  you  the  room." 

"  I  have  expected  this,  and  am  ready.  Let  me  have  my 
own  way,  and  I  will  cause  you  no  trouble.  Poor  Biddy 
has  taught  me  how  to  die.  Before  I  go,  however,  Stephen 
Spike,  I  must  leave  you  this  letter.  It  is  written  by  my 
self,  and  addressed  to  you.  When  I  am  gone,  read  it,  and 
think  well  of  what  it  contains.  And  now,  may  a  merciful 
God  pardon  the  sins  of  both,  through  love  for  His  Divine 
Son.  I  forgive  you,  Stephen ;  and  should  you  live  to 
escape  from  those  who  are  now  bent  on  hunting  you  to  the 
death,  let  this  day  cause  you  no  grief  on  my  account. 
Give  me  but  a  moment  of  time,  and  I  will  cause  you  no 
trouble." 

Jack  now  stood  upon  the  seat  of  the  stern-sheets,  balan 
cing  himself  with  one  foot  on  the  stern  of  the  boat.  He 
waited  until  the  yawl  had  risen  to  the  summit  of  a  wave, 
when  he  looked  eagerly  for  the  man-of-war's  cutter.  At 
that  moment  she  was  lost  to  view  in  the  trough  of  the  sea. 
Instead  of  springing  overboard,  as  all  expected,  he  asked 
another  instant  of  delay.  The  yawl  sank  into  the  trough 
itself,  and  rose  on  the  succeeding  billow.  Then  he  saw 
the  cutter,  and  Wallace  and  Mulford  standing  in  its  bows, 
He  waved  his  hat  to  them,  and  sprang  high  into  the  air, 
with  the  intent  to  make  himself  seen  ;  when  he  came  down, 
the  boat  had  shot  her  length  away  from  the  place,  leaving 
him  to  buffet  with  the  waves.  Jack  now  managed  admi 
rably,  swimming  lightly  and  easily,  but  keeping  his  eyes  on 
the  crests  of  the  waves,  with  a  view  to  meet  the  cutter. 
Spike  now  saw  this  well-planned  project  to  avoid  death, 
and  regretted  his  own  remissness  in  not  making  sure  of 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  187 

Jack.  Everybody  in  the  yawl  was  eagerly  looking  after 
the  form  of  Tier. 

"  There  he  is  on  the  comb  of  that  sea,  rolling  over  like 
a  keg!"  cried  the  boatswain. 

"  lie  's  through  it,"  answered  Spike,  "  and  swimming 
with  great  strength  and  coolness." 

Several  of  the  men  started  up  involuntarily  and  simul 
taneously  to  look,  hitting  their  shoulders  and  bodies  toge 
ther.  Distrust  was  at  its  most  painful  height;  and  bull 
dogs  do  not  spring  at  the  ox's  muzzle  more  fiercely  than 
those  six  men  throttled  each  other.  Oaths,  curses,  and 
appeals  for  help,  succeeded ;  each  man  endeavouring,  in 
his  frenzied  efforts,  to  throw  all  the  others  overboard,  as 
the  only  means  of  saving  himself.  Plunge  succeeded 
plunge;  arid  when  that  combat  of  demons  ended,  no  one 
remained  of  them  all  but  the  boatswain.  Spike  had  taken 
no  share  in  the  struggle,  looking  on  in  grim  satisfaction, 
as  the  Father  of  Lies  may  be  supposed  to  regard  all  human 
strife,  hoping  good  to  himself,  let  the  result  be  what  it 
might  to  others.  Of  the  five  men  who  thus  went  overboard, 
riot  one  escaped.  They  drowned  each  other  by  continuing 
their  maddened  conflict  in  an  element  unsuited  to  their 
natures. 

Not  so  with  Jack  Tier.  His  leap  had  been  seen,  arid  a 
dozen  eyes  in  the  cutter  watched  for  his  person,  as  that  boat 
came  foaming  down  before  the  wind.  A  shout  of"  There 
he  is!"  from  Mulford  succeeded;  and  the  little  fellow  was 
caught  by  the  hair,  secured,  and  then  hauled  into  the  boat 
by  the  second  lieutenant  of  the  Poughkeepsie  and  our 
young  mate. 

Others  in  the  cutter  had  noted  the  incident  of  the  hellish 
fight.  The  fact  was  communicated  to  Wallace,  and  Mul 
ford  said,  "  That  yawl  will  outsail  this  loaded  cutter,  with 
only  two  men  in  it." 

"  Then  it  is  time  to  try  what  virtue  there  is  in  lead," 
answered  Wallace.  "Marines,  come  forward,  and  give 
the  rascal  a  volley." 

The  volley  was  fired ;  one  ball  passed  through  the  head 
of  the  boatswain,  killing  him  dead  on  the  spot.  Another 
went  through  the  body  of  Spike.  The  captain  fell  in  the 
stern-sheets,  and  the  boat  instantly  broached-to. 


188  JACK  TIER; 

The  water  that  came  on  board  apprised  Spike  fully  of 
the  state  in  which  he  was  now  placed,  and  by  a  desperate 
effort,  he  clutched  the  tiller,  and  got  the  yawl  again  before 
the  wind.  This  could  not  last,  however.  Little  by  little, 
his  hold  relaxed,  until  his  hand  relinquished  its  grasp  alto 
gether,  and  the  wounded  man  sank  into  the  bottom  of  the 
stern-sheets,  unable  to  raise  even  his  head.  Again  the 
boat  broached-to.  Every  sea  now  sent  its  water  aboard, 
and  the  yawl  would  soon  have  rilled,  had  not  the  cutter 
come  glancing  down  past  it,  and  rounding-to  under  its  lee, 
secured  the  prize. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Man  hath  a  weary  pilgrimage, 

As  through  the  world  he  wends ; 
On  every  stage,  from  youth  to  age, 

Still  discontent  attends ; 
"With  heaviness  he  ca?ts  his  eye, 

Upon  the  road  before, 
And  still  remembers  with  a  sigh 

The  days  that  are  no  more. 

SorTHET. 


IT  has  now  become  necessary  to  advance  the  time  three 
entire  days,  and  to  change  the  scene  to  Key  West.  As 
this  latter  place  may  not  be  known  to  the  world  at  large, 
it  may  be  well  to  explain  that  it  is  a  small  seaport,  situate 
on  one  of  the  largest  of  the  many  low  islands  that  dot  the 
Florida  Reef,  that  has  risen  into  notice,  or  indeed  into 
existence  as  a  town,  since  the  acquisition  of  the  Floridas  by 
the  American  Republic.  For  many  years  it  was  the  resort  of 
few  besides  wreckers,  and  those  who  live  by  the  business 
dependent  on  the  rescuing  and  repairing  of  stranded  ves 
sels,  not  forgetting  the  salvages.  When  it  is  remembered 
that  the  greater  portion  of  the  vessels  that  enter  the  Gulf 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  189 

of  Mexico  stand  close  along  this  reef,  before  the  trades, 
for  a  distance  varying  from  one  to  two  hundred  miles,  and 
that  nearly  everything  which  quits  it,  is  obliged  to  beat 
down  its  rocky  coast  in  the  Gulf  Stream  for  the  same  dis 
tance,  one  is  not  to  be  surprised  that  the  wrecks,  which  so 
constantly  occur,  can  supply  the  wants  of  a  considerable 
population.  To  live  at  Key  West  is  the  next  thing  to 
being  at  sea.  The  place  has  sea  air,  no  other  water  than 
such  as  is  preserved  in  cisterns,  an  1  no  soil,  or  so  little  as 
to  render  even  a  head  of  lettuce  a  rarity.  Turtle  is  abun 
dant,  and  the  business  of  '•'  turtling"  forms  an  occupation 
additional  to  that  of  wrecking.  As  might  be  expected,  in 
such  circumstances,  a  potato  is  a  far  more  precious  thing 
than  a  turtle's  egg,  and  a  sack  of  the  tubers  would  pro 
bably  be  deemed  a  sufficient  remuneration  for  enough  of 
the  materials  of  callipash  and  callipee  to  feed  all  the  alder 
men  extant. 

Of  late  years,  the  government  of  the  United  States  has 
turned  its  attention  to  the  capabilities  of  the  Florida  Reef, 
as  an  advanced  naval  station;  a  sort  of  Downs,  or  St. 
Helen's  Roads,  for  the  West  Indian  seas.  As  yet  little 
has  been  done  beyond  making  the  preliminary  surveys,  but 
the  day  is  not  probably  very  distant  when  fleets  will  lie  at 
anchor  among  the  islets  described  in  our  earlier  chapters, 
or  garnish  the  fine  waters  of  Key  West.  For  a  long  time 
it  was  thought  that  even  frigates  would  have  a  difficulty  in 
entering  and  quitting  the  port  of  the  latter,  but  it  is  said 
that  recent  explorations  have  discovered  channels  capable 
of  admitting  anything  that  floats.  Still  Key  West  is  a 
town  yet  in  its  chrysalis  state,  possessing  the  promise  rather 
than  the  fruition  of  the  prosperous  days  which  are  in  re 
serve.  It  may  be  well  to  add,  that  it  lies  a  very  little  north 
of  the  24th  degree  of  latitude,  and  in  a  longitude  quite 
five  degrees  west  from  Washington.  Until  the  recent  con 
quests  in  Mexico  it  was  the  most  southern  possession  of 
the  American  government,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  con 
tinent  ;  Cape  St.  Lucas,  at  the  extremity  of  Lower  Cali 
fornia,  however,  being  two  degrees  farther  south. 

It  will  give  the  foreign  reader  a  more  accurate  notion 
of  the  character  of  Key  West,  if  we  mention  a  fact  of 
quite  recent  occurrence.  A  very  few  weeks  after  the 


190  JACK   TIER; 

closing  scenes  of  this  tale,  the  town  in  question  was,  in  a 
great  measure,  washed  away  !  A  hurricane  brought  in  the 
sea  upon  all  these  islands  and  reefs,  water  running  in  swift 
currents  over  places  that  within  the  memory  of  man  were 
never  before  submerged.  The  lower  part  of  Key  West 
was  converted  into  a  raging  sea,  and  everything  in  that 
quarter  of  the  place  disappeared.  The  foundation  being 
of  rock,  however,  when  the  ocean  retired  the  island  came 
into  view  again,  and  industry  and  enterprise  set  to  work  to 
repair  the  injuries. 

The  government  has  established  a  small  hospital  for  sea 
men  at  Key  West.  Into  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  building 
thus  appropriated  our  narrative  must  now  conduct  the 
reader.  It  contained  but  a  single  patient,  and  that  was 
Spike.  He  was  on  his  narrow  bed,  which  was  to  be  but 
the  pucursor  of  a  still  narrower  tenement,  the  grave.  In 
the  room  with  the  dying  man  were  two  females,  in  one  of 
whom  our  readers  will  at  once  recognize  the  person  of 
Rose  Budd,  dressed  in  deep  mourning  for  her  aunt.  At 
first  sight,  it  is  probable  that  a  casual  spectator  would  mis 
take  the  second  female  for  one  of  the  ordinary  nurses  of 
the  place.  Her  attire  was  well  enough,  though  worn 
awkwardly,  and  as  if  its  owner  were  not  exactly  at  ease  in 
it.  She  had  the  air  of  one  in  her  best  attire,  who  was  un 
accustomed  to  be  dressed  above  the  most  common  mode. 
What  added  to  the  singularity  of  her  appearance,  was  the 
fact,  that  while  she  wore  no  cap,  her  hair  had  been  cut 
into  short,  gray  bristles,  instead  of  being  long,  and  turned 
up,  as  is  usual  with  females.  To  give  a  sort  of  climax 
to  this  uncouth  appearance,  this  strange-looking  creature 
chewed  tobacco. 

The  woman  in  question,  equivocal  as  might  be  her  exte 
rior,  was  employed  in  one  of  the  commonest  avocations  of 
her  sex — that  of  sewing.  She  held  in  her  hand  a  coarse 
garment,  one  of  Spike's,  in  fact,  which  she  seemed  to  be 
intently  busy  in  mending ;  although  the  work  was  of  a 
quality  that  invited  the  use  of  the  palm  and  sail-needle, 
rather  than  that  of  the  thimble  and  the  smaller  implement 
known  to  seamstresses,  the  woman  appeared  awkward  in 
her  business,  as  if  her  coarse-looking  and  dark  hands  re 
fused  to  lend  themselves  to  an  occupation  so  feminine. 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  191 

Nevertheless,  there  were  touches  of  a  purely  womanly 
character  about  this  extraordinary  person,  and  touches  that 
particularly  attracted  the  attention,  and  awakened  the  sym 
pathy  of  the  gentle  Rose,  her  companion.  Tears  occa 
sionally  struggled  out  from  beneath  her  eyelids,  crossed  her 
dark,  sun-burnt  cheek,  and  fell  on  the  coarse  canvas  gar 
ment  that  lay  in  her  lap.  It  was  after  one  of  these  sudden 
and  strong  exhibitions  of  feeling  that  Rose  approached  her, 
laid  her  own  little,  fair  hand,  in  a  friendly  way,  though  un 
heeded,  on  the  other's  shoulder,  and  spoke  to  her  in  her 
kindest  and  softest  tones. 

"I  do  really  think  he  is  reviving,  Jack,"  said  Rose, 
"  and  that  you  may  yet  hope  to  have  an  intelligent  conver 
sation  with  him." 

"They  all  agree  he  must  die,"  answered  Jack  Tier  — 
for  it  was  he,  appearing  in  the  garb  of  his  proper  sex,  after 
a  disguise  that  had  now  lasted  fully  twenty  years  —  "  and 
he  will  never  know  who  I  am,  and  that  I  forgive  him.  He 
must  think  of  me  in  another  world,  though  he  is  n't  able 
to  do  it  in  this;  but  it  would  be  a  great  relief  to  his  soul 
to  know  that  I  forgive  him." 

"  To  be  sure,  a  man  must  like  to  take  a  kind  leave  of 
his  own  wife  before  he  closes  his  eyes  for  ever ;  and  I  dare 
say  it  would  be  a  great  relief  to  you  to  tell  him  that  you 
have  forgotten  his  desertion  of  you,  and  all  the  hardships 
it  has  brought  upon  you  in  searching  for  him,  and  in  earn 
ing  your  own  livelihood  as  a  common  sailor." 

"  I  shall  not  tell  him  I've  forgotten  it,  Miss  Rose;  that 
would  be  untrue  —  and  there  shall  be  no  more  deception 
between  us ;  but  I  shall  tell  him  that  I  forgive  him,  as  I 
hope  God  will  one  day  forgive  me  all  my  sins." 

"  It  is,  certainly,  not  a  light  offence  to  desert  a  wife  in  a 
foreign  land,  and  then  to  seek  to  deceive  another  woman," 
quietly  observed  Rose. 

"  He 's  a  willian  !"  muttered  the  wife — "  but — but — " 

"You  forgive  him,  Jack — yes,  I'm  sure  you  do.  You 
are  too  good  a  Christian  to  refuse  to  forgive  him." 

"  I  'm  a  woman  a'ter  all,  Miss  Rose;  and  that,  I  believe, 
is  the  truth  of  it.  I  suppose  I  ought  to  do  as  you  say,  for 
the  reason  you  mention;  but  I'm  his  wife — and  once  he 
loved  me,  though  that  has  long  been  over.  When  I  first 


192  JACK  TIER; 

knew  Stephen,  I  'd  the  sort  of  feelirrs  you  speak  of,  and 
was  a  very  different  creatur'  from  what  you  see  me  to-day. 
Change  comes  over  us  all  with  years  and  sufferih'." 

Rose  did  not  answer,  but  she  stood  looking  intently  at 
the  speaker  more  than  a  minute.  Change  had,  indeed, 
come  over  her,  if  she  had  ever  possessed  the  power  to 
please  the  fancy  of  any  living  man.  Her  features  had 
always  seemed  diminutive  and  mean  for  her  assumed  sex, 
as  her  voice  was  small  and  cracked  ;  but,  making  every 
allowance  for  the  probabilities,  Rose  found  it  difficult  to 
imagine  that  Jack  Tier  had  ever  possessed,  even  under  the 
high  advantages  of  youth  and  innocence,  the  attractions 
so  common  to  her  sex.  Her  skin  had  acquired  the  tanning 
of  the  sea ;  the  expression  of  her  face  had  become  hard 
and  worldly ;  and  her  habits  contributed  to  render  those 
natural  consequences  of  exposure  and  toil  even  more  than 
usually  marked  and  decided.  By  saying  "  habits,"  how 
ever,  we  do  not  mean  that  Jack  had  ever  drunk  to  excess, 
as  happens  with  so  many  seamen,  for  this  would  have  been 
doing  her  injustice,  but  she  smoked  and  chewed — practices 
that  intoxicate  in  another  form,  and  lead  nearly  as  many  to 
the  grave  as  excess  in  drinking.  Thus  all  the  accessories 
about  this  singular  being,  partook  of  the  character  of  her 
recent  life  and  duties.  Her  walk  was  between  a  waddle 
and  a  seaman's  roll ;  her  hands  were  discoloured  with  tar, 
and  had  got  to  be  full  of  knuckles,  and  even  her  feet  had 
degenerated  into  that  flat,  broad-toed  form  that,  perhaps, 
sooner  distinguishes  caste,  in  connection  with  outward  ap 
pearances,  than  any  one  other  physical  peculiarity.  Yet 
this  being  had  once  been  young — had  once  been  even  fair; 
and  had  once  possessed  that  feminine  air  and  lightness  of 
form,  that  as  often  belongs  to  the  youthful  American  of  her 
sex,  perhaps,  as  to  the  girl  of  any  other  nation  on  earth. 
Rose  continued  to  gaze  at  her  companion  for  some  time, 
when  she  walked  musingly  to  a  window  that  looked  out 
upon  the  port. 

"  I  am  not  certain  whether  it  would  do  him  good  or 
not  to  see  this  sight,"  she  said,  addressing  the  wife  kindly, 
doubtful  of  the  effect  of  her  words  even  on  the  latter. 
"  But  here  are  the  sloop-of-war,  and  several  other  vessels." 

"Ay,  she  is  there;  but  never  will  his  foot  be  put  on 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  193 

board  the  Swash  ag'in.  When  he  bought  that  brig  I  was 
still  young,  and  agreeable  to  him ;  and  he  gave  her  my 
maiden  name,  which  was  Mary,  or  Molly  Swash.  But 
that  is  all  changed ;  I  wonder  he  did  not  change  the  name 
with  his  change  of  feelin's." 

"  Then  you  did  really  sail  in  the  brig  in  former  times, 
and  knew  the  seaman  whose  name  you  assumed  ?" 

"  Many  years.  Tier,  with  whose  name  I  made  free,  on 
account  of  his  size,  and  some  resemblance  to  me  in  form, 
died  under  my  care ;  and  his  protection  fell  into  my  hands, 
which  first  put  the  notion  into  my  head  of  hailing  as  his 
representative.  Yes,  I  knew  Tier  in  the  brig,  and  we 
were  left  ashore  at  the  same  time;  I,  intentionally,  I  make 
no  question;  he,  because  Stephen  Spike  was  in  a  hurry, 
and  did  not  choose  to  wait  for  a  man.  The  poor  fellow 
caught  the  yellow  fever  the  very  next  day,  and  did  not  live 
eight-and-forty  hours.  So  the  world  goes  ;  them  that  wish 
to  live,  die  ;  and  them  that  wants  to  die,  live !" 

"  You  have  had  a  hard  time  for  one  of  your  sex,  poor 
Jack— quite  twenty  years  a  sailor,  did  you  riot  tell  me?" 

"  Every  day  of  it,  Miss  Rose — and  bitter  years  have  they 
been ;  for  the  whole  of  that  time  have  I  been  in  chase  of 
my  husband,  keeping  my  own  secret,  and  slaving  like  a 
horse  for  a  livelihood." 

"  You  could  not  have  been  old  when  he  left — that  is — 
when  you  parted." 

"Call  it  by  its  true  name,  and  say  at  once,  when  he  de- 
sarted  me.  I  was  under  thirty  by  two  or  three  years,  and 
was  still  like  my  own  sex  to  look  at.  All  that  is  changed 
since  ;  but  I  was  comely  then." 

"  Why  did  Captain  Spike  abandon  you,  Jack ;  you  have 
never  told  rnc  that." 

"  Because  he  fancied  another.  And  ever  since  that  time 
he  has  been  fancying  others,  instead  of  remembering  me. 
Had  he  got  you,  Miss  Rose,  I  think  he  would  have  been 
content  for  the  rest  of  his  days." 

"  Be  certain,  Jack,  I  should  never  have  consented  to 
marry  Captain  Spike." 

"  You  're  well  out  of  his  hands,"  answered  Jack,  sigh 
ing  heavily,  which  was  the  most  feminine  thing  she  had 
done  during  the  whole  conversation,  "  well  out  of  his 

VOL.  II.  —  17 


194  JACK   TIER,; 

hands — and  God  be  praised  it  is  so.  He  should  have  died, 
before  I  would  let  him  carry  you  off  the  island — husband 
or  no  husband." 

"  It  might  have  exceeded  your  power  to  prevent  it  under 
other  circumstances,  Jack." 

Rose  now  continued  looking  out  of  the  window  in 
silence.  Her  thoughts  reverted  to  her  aunt  and  Biddy, 
and  tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks  as  she  remembered  the 
love  of  one,  and  the  fidelity  of  the  other.  Their  horrible 
fate  had  given  her  a  shock  that,  at  first,  menaced  her  with 
a  severe  fit  of  illness ;  but  her  strong,  good  sense,  and  ex 
cellent  constitution,  both  sustained  by  her  piety  and  Harry's 
manly  tenderness,  had  brought  her  through  the  danger,  and 
left  her,  as  the  reader  now  sees  her,  struggling  with  her 
own  griefs,  in  order  to  be  of  use  to  the  still  more  unhappy 
woman  who  had  so  singularly  become  her  friend  and  com 
panion. 

The  reader  will  readily  have  anticipated  that  Jack  Tier 
had  early  made  the  females  on  board  the  Swash  her  con 
fidants.  Rose  had  known  the  outlines  of  her  history  from 
the  first  few  days  they  were  at  sea  together,  which  is  the 
explanation  of  the  visible  intimacy  that  had  caused  Mul- 
ford  so  much  surprise.  Jack's  motive  in  making  his  reve 
lations  might  possibly  have  been  tinctured  with  jealousy, 
but  a  desire  to  save  one  as  young  and  innocent  as  Rose 
was  at  its  bottom.  Few  persons  but  a  wife  would  have 
supposed  our  heroine  could  have  been  in  any  danger  from 
a  lover  like  Spike;  but  Jack  saw  him  with  the  eyes  of  her 
own  youth,  and  of  past  recollections,  rather  than  with  those 
of  truth.  A  movement  of  the  wounded  man  first  drew 
Rose  from  the  window.  Drying  her  eyes  hastily,  she 
turned  toward  him,  fancying  she  might  prove  the  better 
nurse  of  the  two,  notwithstanding  Jack's  greater  interest 
in  the  patient. 

"What  place  is  this  —  and  why  am  I  here?"  demanded 
Spike,  with  more  strength  of  voice  than  could  have  been 
expected,  after  all  that  had  passed.  "  This  is  not  a  cabin 
— not  the  Swash — it  looks  like  a  hospital." 

"It  is  a  hospital,  Captain  Spike,"  said  Rose,  gently 
drawing  near  the  bed  ;  "  you  have  been  hurt,  and  have 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  195 

been  brought  to  Key  West,  and  placed  in  the  hospital.  I 
hope  you  feel  better,  and  that  you  suffer  no  pain." 

"  My  head  is  n't  right — I  do  n't  know — everything  seems 
turned  round  with  me  —  perhaps  it  will  all  come  out  as  it 
should.  I  begin  to  remember — where  is  my  brig?" 

"  She  is  lost  on  the  rocks.  The  seas  have  broken  her 
into  fragments." 

"  That 's  melancholy  news,  at  any  rate.  Ah  !  Miss  Rose ! 
God  bless  you — I  've  had  terrible  dreams.  Well,  it 's  plea 
sant  to  be  among  friends  —  what  creature  is  that  —  where 
does  she  come  from  ?" 

"  That  is  Jack  Tier,"  answered  Rose,  steadily.  "  She 
turns  out  to  be  a  woman,  and  has  put  on  her  proper  dress, 
in  order  to  attend  on  you  during  your  illness.  Jack  has 
never  left  your  bedside  since  we  have  been  here." 

A  long  silence  succeeded  this  revelation.  Jack's  eyes 
twinkled,  and  she  hitched  her  body  half  aside,  as  if  to  con 
ceal  her  features,  where  emotions  that  were  unusual  were 
at  work  with  the  muscles.  Rose  thought  it  might  be  well 
to  leave  the  man  and  wife  alone — and  she  managed  to  get 
out  of  the  room  unobserved. 

Spike  continued  to  gaze  at  the  strange-looking  female, 
who  was  now  his  sole  companion.  Gradually  his  recollec 
tion  returned,  and  with  it  the  full  consciousness  of  his 
situation.  He  might  not  have  been  fully  aware  of  the 
absolute  certainty  of  his  approaching  death,  but  he  must 
have  known  that  his  wound  was  of  a  very  grave  character, 
and  that  the  result  might  early  prove  fatal.  Still  that 
strange  and  unknown  figure  haunted  him;  a  figure  that 
was  so  different  from  any  he  had  ever  seen  before,  and 
which,  in  spite  of  its  present  dress,  seemed  to  belong  quite 
as  much  to  one  sex  as  to  the  other.  As  for  Jack,  we  call 
Molly,  or  Mary  Swash  by  her  masculine  appellation,  not 
only  because  it  is  more  familiar,  but  because  the  other 
name  seems  really  out  of  place,  as  applied  to  such  a  person 
—  as  for  Jack,  then,  she  sat  with  her  face  half  averted, 
thumbing  the  canvas,  and  endeavouring  to  ply  the  needle, 
but  perfectly  rnute.  She  was  conscious  that  Spike's  eves 
were  on  her ;  and  a  lingering  feeling  of  her  sex  told  her 
how  much  time,  exposure,  and  circumstances,  had  changed 


196  JACK  TIER; 

her  person — and  she  would  gladly  have  hidden  the  defects 
in  her  appearance. 

Mary  Swash  was  the  daughter  as  well  as  the  wife  of  a 
ship-master.  In  her  youth,  as  has  been  said  before,  she 
had  even  been  pretty,  and  down  to  the  day  when  her  hus 
band  deserted  her,  she  would  have  been  thought  a  female 
of  a  comely  appearance  rather  than  the  reverse.  Her  hair 
in  particular,  though  slightly  coarse,  perhaps,  had  been 
rich  and  abundant ;  and  the  change  from  the  long,  dark, 
shining,  flowing  locks  which  she  still  possessed  in  her  thir 
tieth  year,  to  the  short,  grey  bristles  that  now  stood  exposed 
without  a  cap,  or  covering  of  any  sort,  was  one  very  likely 
to  destroy  all  identity  of  appearance.  Then  Jack  had 
passed  from  what  might  be  called  youth  to  the  verge  of  old 
age,  in  the  interval  that  she  had  been  separated  from  her 
husband.  Her  shape  had  changed  entirely ;  her  com 
plexion  was  utterly  gone;  and  her  features,  always  unmean 
ing,  though  feminine,  and  suitable  to  her  sex,  had  become 
hard  and  slightly  coarse.  Still  there  was  something  of  her 
former  self  about  Jack  that  bewildered  Spike ;  and  his 
eyes  continued  fastened  on  her  for  quite  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  in  profound  silence. 

"  Give  me  some  water,"  said  the  wounded  man,  "  I  wish 
some  water  to  drink." 

Jack  arose,  ^filled  a  tumbler  and  brought  it  to  the  side  of 
the  bed.  Spike  took  the  glass  and  drank,  but  the  whole 
time  his  eyes  were  riveted  on  the  strange  nurse.  When 
his  thirst  was  appeased,  he  asked — 

"  Who  are  you?     How  came  you  here?" 

"I  am  your  nurse.  It  is  common  to  place  nurses  at  the 
bedsides  of  the  sick." 

"Are  you  man  or  woman?" 

"  That  is  a  question  I  hardly  know  how  to  answer.  Some 
times  I  think  myself  each ;  sometimes  neither." 

"Did  I  ever  see  you  before?" 

"  Often,  and  quite  lately.  I  sailed  with  you  in  your  last 
voyage." 

"  You !     That  cannot  be.     If  so,  what  is  your  name  ?" 

"  Jack  Tier." 

A  long  pause  succeeded  this  announcement,  which  in- 
duced  Spike  to  muse  as  intently  as  his  condition  would 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  197 

allow,  though  the  truth  did  not  yet  flash  on  his  understand 
ing.  At  length  the  bewildered  man  again  spoke. 

"  Are  you  Jack  Tier?"  he  said  slowly,  like  one  who 
doubted.  "  Yes — I  now  see  the  resemblance,  and  it  was 
that  which  puzzled  me.  Are  they  so  rigid  in  this  hospital 
that  you  have  been  obliged  to  put  on  woman's  clothes  in 
order  to  lend  me  a  helping  hand  ?" 

"I  am  dressed  as  you  see,  and  for  good  reasons." 

"  But  Jack  Tier  run,  like  that  rascal  Mulford — ay,  I  re 
member  now;  you  were  in  the  boat  when  I  overhauled  you 
all  on  the  reef." 

"Very  true;  I  was  in  the  boat.  But  I  never  run,  Ste 
phen  Spike.  It  was  you  who  abandoned  me,  on  the  islet 
in  the  Gulf,  and  that  makes  the  second  time  in  your  life 
that  you  left  me  ashore,  when  it  was  your  duty  to  carry  me 
to  sea." 

"  The  first  time  I  was  in  a  hurry,  and  could  not  wait 
for  you  ;  this  last  time  you  took  sides  with  the  women. 
But  for  your  interference,  I  should  have  got  Rose,  and 
married  her,  and  all  would  now  have  been  well  with  me." 

This  was  an  awkward  announcement  for  a  man  to  make 
to  his  legal  wife.  But  after  all  Jack  had  endured,  and  all 
Jack  had  seen  during  the  late  voyage,  she  was  not  to  be 
overcome  by  this  avowal.  Her  self-command  extended  so 
far  as  to  prevent  any  open  manifestation  of  emotion,  how 
ever  much  her  feelings  were  excited. 

"  I  took  sides  with  the  women,  because  I  am  a  woman 
myself,"  she  answered,  speaking  at  length  with  decision, 
as  if  determined  to  bring  matters  to  a  head  at  once.  "  It 
is  natural  for  us  all  to  take  sides  with  our  kind." 

"  You  a  woman,  Jack  !  That  is  very  remarkable.  Since 
when  have  you  hailed  for  a  woman?  You  have  shipped 
with  me  twice,  and  each  time  as  a  man — though  I  've  never 
thought  you  able  to  do  seaman's  duty." 

"  Nevertheless,  I  am  what  you  see ;  a  woman  born  and 
edicated  ;  one  that  never  had  on  man's  dress  until  I  knew 
you.  You  supposed  me  to  be  a  man,  when  I  came  off  to 
you  in  the  skiff  to  the  eastward  of  Hiker's  Island,  but  I 
was  then  what  you  now  see." 

"  I  begin  to  understand  matters,"  rejoined  the  invalid, 
musingly.  4C  Ay,  ay,  it  opens  on  me;  and  I  now  see  how 
17* 


198  JACK  TIER; 

it  was  you  made  such  fair  weather  with  Madam  Budd  and 
pretty,  pretty  Rose.  Rose  is  pretty,  Jack ;  you  must 
admit  that,  though  you  be  a  woman." 

"'Rose  is  pretty —  I  do  admit  it;  and  what  is  better, 
Rose  is  good"  It  required  a  heavy  draft  on  Jack's  justice 
and  magnanimity,  however,  to  make  this  concession. 

"  And  you  told  Rose  and  Madam  Budd  about  your 
sex ;  and  that  was  the  reason  they  took  to  you  so  on  the 
v'y'ge?" 

"  I  told  them  who  I  was,  and  why  I  went  abroad  as  a 
man.  They  know  my  whole  story." 

"  Did  Rose  approve  of  your  sailing  under  false  colours, 
Jack?" 

"  You  must  ask  that  of  Rose  herself.  My  story  made 
her  my  friend ;  but  she  never  said  anything  for  or  against 
my  disguise." 

"  It  was  no  great  disguise  a'ter  all,  Jack.  Now  you  're 
fitted  out  in  your  own  clothes,  you've  a  sort  of  half-rigged 
look  ;  one  would  be  as  likely  to  set  you  down  for  a  man 
under  jury-canvas,  as  for  a  woman." 

Jack  made  no  answer  to  this,  but  she  sighed  very  heavily. 
As  for  Spike  himself,  he  was  silent  for  some  little  time, 
not  only  from  exhaustion,  but  because  he  suffered  pain  from 
his  wound.  The  needle  was  diligently  but  awkwardly 
plied  in  this  pause. 

Spike's  ideas  were  still  a  little  confused;  but  a  silence 
and  rest  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  cleared  them  materially. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  again  asked  for  water.  When 
he  had  drunk,  and  Jack  was  once  more  seated,  with  his 
side-face  toward  him,  at  work  with  the  needle,  the  captain 
gazed  long  and  intently  at  this  strange  woman.  It  hap 
pened  that  the  profile  of  Jack  preserved  more  of  the  re 
semblance  to  her  former  self,  than  the  full  face  ;  and  it 
was  this  resemblance  that  now  attracted  Spike's  attention, 
though  not  the  smallest  suspicion  of  the  truth  yet  gleamed 
upon  him.  He  saw  something  that  was  familiar,  though 
he  could  not  even  tell  what  thai  something  was,  much  less 
to  what  or  whom  it  bore  any  resemblance.  At  length  he 
spoke. 

"  I  was  told  that  Jack  Tier  was  dead,"  he  said  ,  "  that 
he  took  the  fever,  and  was  in  his  grave  within  eight-and- 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  199 

forty  hours  after  we  sailed.  That  was  what  they  told  me 
of  him." 

"  And  what  did  they  tell  you  of  your  own  wife,  Ste 
phen  Spike.  She  that  you  left  ashore  at  the  time  Jack 
was  left  ?" 

'*  They  said  she  did  not  die  for  three  years  later.  I  heard 
of  her  death  at  New  Oileens,  three  years  later." 

"  And  how  could  you  leave  her  ashore — she,  your  true 
and  lawful  wife  1" 

11  It  was  a  bad  thing,"  answered  Spike,  who,  like  all 
other  mortals,  regarded  his  own  past  career,  now  that  he 
stood  on  the  edge  of  the  grave,  very  differently  from  what 
he  had  regarded  it  in  the  hour  of  his  health  and  strength. 
"  Yes,  it  was  a  very  bad  thing  ;  and  I  wish  it  was  ondone. 
But  it  is  too  late  now.  She  died  of  the  fever,  too — that's 
some  comfort ;  had  she  died  of  a  broken  heart,  I  could  not 
have  forgiven  myself.  Molly  was  not  without  her  faults — 
great  faults,  I  considered  them ;  but,  on  the  whole,  Molly 
was  a  good  creatur'." 

"  You  liked  her,  then,  Stephen  Spike?" 

"I  can  truly  say  that  when  I  married  Molly,  and  old 
Captain  Swash  put  his  da'ghter's  hand  into  mine,  that  the 
woman  was  n't  living  who  was  better  in  my  judgment,  or 
handsomer  in  my  eyes." 

"  Ay,  ay — when  you  married  her;  but  how  was  it  a'ter- 
wards? — when  you  was  tired  of  her,  and  saw  another  that 
was  fairer  in  your  eyes?" 

"  I  desarted  her  ;  and  God  has  punished  me  for  the  sin ! 
Do  you  know,  Jack,  that  luck  has  never  been  with  me 
since  that  day.  Often  and  often  have  I  bethought  me  of 
it;  and  sartain  as  you  sit  there,  no  great  luck  has  ever  been 
with  me,  or  my  craft,  since  I  went  off,  leaving  my  wife 
ashore.  What  was  made  in  one  v'y'ge,  was  lost  in  the 
next.  Up  arid  down,  up  and  down  the  whole  time,  for  so 
many,  many  long  years,  that  grey  hairs  set  in,  and  old  age 
was  beginning  to  get  close  aboard — and  I  as  poor  as  ever. 
It  has  been  rub  and  go  with  me  ever  since ;  and  I  have  had 
as  much  as  I  could  do  to  keep  the  brig  in  motion,  as  the 
only  means  that  was  left  to  make  the  two  ends  meet." 

"  And  did  not  all  this  make  you  think  of  your  poor  wife 
— she  whom  you  had  so  wronged  ?" 


200  JACK   TIER; 

"I  thought  of  little  else,  until  I  heard  of  her  death  at 
New  Qvlcens — arid  then  I  gave  it  up  as  useless.  Could  I 
have  fallen  in  with  Molly  at  any  time  a'ter  the  first  six 
months  of  my  desarticn,  she  and  I  would  have  come  toge 
ther  again,  and  everything  would  have  been  forgotten.  I 
knowed  her  very  nature,  which  was  all  forgiveness  to  me 
at  the  bottom,  though  seemingly  so  spiteful  and  hard." 

"  Yet  you  wanted  to  have  this  Rose  Budd,  who  is  only 
too  young,  and  handsome,  and  good  for  you." 

"I  was  tired  of  being  a  widower,  Jack;  and  Rose  is 
wonderful  pretty.  She  has  money,  too,  and  might  make 
the  evening  of  my  days  comfortable.  The  brig  was  old, 
as  you  must  know,  and  has  long  been  off  of  all  the  Insu 
rance  Offices'  books  ;  and  she  could  n't  hold  together  much 
longer.  But  for  this  sloop-of-war,  I  should  have  put  her 
off  on  the  Mexicans ;  and  they  would  have  lost  her  to  our 
people  in  a  month." 

"  And  was  it  an  honest  thing  to  sell  an  old  and  worn-out 
craft  to  any  one,  Stephen  Spike?" 

Spike  had  a  conscience  that  had  become  hard  as  iron 
by  means  of  trade.  He  who  traffics  much,  most  especially 
if  his  dealings  be  on  so  small  a  scale  as  to  render  constant 
investigations  of  the  minor  qualities  of  things  necessary, 
must  be  a  very  fortunate  man,  if  he  preserve  his  con 
science  in  any  better  condition.  When  Jack  made  this 
allusion,  therefore,  the  dying  man  —  for  death  was  much 
nearer  to  Spike  that  even  he  supposed,  though  he  no  longer 
hoped  for  his  own  recovery  —  when  Jack  made  this  allu 
sion,  then,  the  dying  man  was  a  good  deal  at  a  loss  to  com 
prehend  it.  He  saw  no  particular  harm  in  making  the 
best  bargain  he  could  ;  nor  was  it  easy  for  him  to  under 
stand  why  he  might  not  dispose  of  anything  he  possessed 
for  the  highest  price  that  was  to  be  had.  Still  he  answered 
in  an  apologetic  sort  of  way. 

"  The  brig  was  old,  I  acknowledge,"  he  said,  "  but  she 
was  strong,  and  might  have  run  a  long  time.  I  only  spoke 
of  her  capture  as  a  thing  likely  to  take  place  soon,  if  the 
Mexicans  got  her ;  so  that  her  qualities  were  of  no  great 
account,  unless  it  might  be  her  speed — and  that  you  know 
was  excellent,  Jack." 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  201 

"  And  you  regret  that  brig,  Stephen  Spike,  lying  as  you 
do  on  your  death-bed,  more  than  anything  else." 

"  Not  as  much  as  I  do  pretty  Rose  Budd,  Jack ;  Rosy 
is  so  delightful  to  look  at!" 

The  muscles  of  Jack's  face  twitched  a  little,  and  she 
looked  deeply  mortified  ;  for,  to  own  the  truth,  she  hoped 
that  the  conversation  had  so  far  turned  her  delinquent 
husband's  thoughts  to  the  past,  as  to  have  revived  in  him 
some  of  his  former  interest  in  herself.  It  is  true,  he  still 
believed  her  dead  ;  but  this  was  a  circumstance  Jack  over 
looked — so  hard  is  it  to  hear  the  praises  of  a  rival,  and  be 
just.  She  felt  the  necessity  of  being  more  explicit,  and 
determined  at  once  to  come  to  the  point. 

"  Stephen  Spike,"  she  said,,  steadily,  drawing  near  to 
the  bed-side,  "  you  should  be  told  the  truth,  when  you  are 
heard  thus  extolling  the  good  looks  of  Rose  Budd,  with 
less  than  eight-and-forty  hours  of  life  remaining.  Mary 
Swash  did  not  die,  as  you  have  supposed,  three  years  a'ter 
you  desarted  her,  but  is  living  at  this  moment.  Had  you 
read  the  letter  I  gave  you  in  the  boat,  just  before  you  made 
me  jump  into  the  sea,  that  would  have  told  you  where  she 
is  to  be  found." 

Spike  stared  at  the  speaker  intently  ;  and  when  her 
cracked  voice  ceased,  his  look  was  that  of  a  man  who  was 
terrified  as  well  as  bewildered.  This  did  not  arise  still  from 
any  gleamirigs  of  the  real  state  of  the  case,  but  from  the 
soreness  with  which  his  conscience  pricked  him,  when  he 
heard  that  his  much-wronged  wife  was  alive.  He  fancied, 
with  a  vivid  and  rapid  glance  at  the  probabilities,  all  that 
a  woman  abandoned  would  be  likely  to  endure  in  the  course 
of  so  many  long  and  suffering  years. 

"  Are  you  sure  of  what  you  say,  Jack?  You  would  n't 
take  advantage  of  my  situation  to  tell  me  an  untruth?" 

"  As  certain  of  it  as  of  my  own  existence.  I  have  seen 
her  quite  lately — talked  with  her  of  you — in  short,  she  is 
now  at  Key  West,  knows  your  state,  and  has  a  wife's  feel- 
in's  to  come  to  your  bed-side." 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  and  the  many  gleamings  he  had 
had  of  the  facts  during  their  late  intercourse  on  board  the 
brig,  Spike  did  not  guess  at  the  truth.  He  appeared  as 
tounded,  and  his  terror  seemed  to  increase. 


202  JACK   TIER; 

"I  have  another  thing  to  tell  you,"  continued  Jack, 
pansing  but  a  moment  to  collect  her  own  thoughts.  "  Jack 
Tier — the  real  Jack  Tier — -he  who  sailed  with  you  of  old. 
and  whom  you  left  ashore  at  the  same  time  you  desarted 
your  wife,  did  die  of  the  fever,  as  you  was  told,  in  eight- 
and-forty  hours  a'ter  the  brig  went  to  sea." 

"  Then  who,  in  the  name  of  Heaven,  are  you  ?  How 
came  you  to  hail  by  another's  name  as  well  as  by  another 
sex?" 

"  What  could  a  woman  do,  whose  husband  had  desarted 
her  in  a  strange  land  ?" 

"  That  is  remarkable  !  So  you  've  been  married  ?  I 
should  not  have  thought  that  possible  ;  and  your  husband 
desarted  you,  too.  Well,  such  things  do  happen." 

Jack  now  felt  a  severe  pang.  She  could  not  but  see 
that  her  ungainly  —  we  had  almost  said  her  unearthly  ap 
pearance — prevented  the  captain  from  even'  yet  suspecting 
the  truth ;  and  the  meaning  of  his  language  was  not  easily 
to  be  mistaken.  That  any  one  should  have  married  her, 
seemed  to  her  husband  as  improbable  as  it  was  probable  he 
would  run  away  from  her  as  soon  as  it  was  in  his  power 
after  the  ceremony. 

"  Stephen  Spike,"  resumed  Jack,  solemnly,  "  /  am  Mary 
Swash — /  am  your  wife  !" 

Spike  started  in  his  bed  ;  then  he  buried  his  face  in  the 
coverlet — and  he  actually  groaned.  In  bitterness  of  spirit 
the  woman  turned  away  and  wept.  Her  feelings  had  been 
blunted  by  misfortune  and  the  collisions  of  a  selfish  world; 
but  enough  of  former  self  remained  to  make  this  the  hard 
est  of  all  the  blows  she  had  ever  received.  Her  husband, 
dying  as  he  was,  as  he  must  and  did  know  himself  to  be, 
shrunk  from  one  of  her  appearance,  urisexed  as  she  had 
become  by  habits,  and  changed  by  years  and  suffering. 


OR,    THE    FLORIDA    REEF.  203 


CHAPTER  IX. 


The  trusting  heart's  repose,  the  paradise 
Of  home,  with  all  its  loves,  doth  fate  allow 
The  crown  of  glory  unto  woman's  brow. 

MRS. 


IT  has  again  become  necessary  to  advance  the  time  ;  and 
we  shall  take  the  occasion  thus  offered  to  make  a  few  ex 
planations  touching  certain  events  which  have  been  passed 
over  without  notice. 

The  reason  why  Captain  Mull  did  not  chase  the  yawl 
of  the  brig  in  the  Poughkeepsie  herself,  was  the  necessity 
of  waiting  for  his  own  boats  that  were  endeavouring  to  re 
gain  the  sloop-of-war.  It  would  not  have  done  to  abandon 
them,  inasmuch  as  the  men  were  so  much  exhausted  by 
the  pull  to  windward,  that  when  they  reached  the  vessel 
all  were  relieved  from  duty  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  As 
soon,  however,  as  the  other  boats  were  hoisted  in,  or  run 
up,  the  ship  filled  away,  stood  out  of  the  passage  and  ran 
down  to  join  the  cutter  of  Wallace,  which  was  endeavour 
ing  to  keep  its  position,  as  much  as  possible,  by  making 
short  tacks  under  close-reefed  luggs. 

Spike  had  been  received  on  board  the  sloop-of-war,  sent 
into  her  sick  bay,  and  put  under  the  care  of  the  surgeon 
and  his  assistants.  From  the  first,  these  gentlemen  pro 
nounced  the  hurt  mortal.  The  wounded  man  was  insen 
sible  most  of  the  time,  until  the  ship  had  beat  up  and  gone 
into  Key  West,  where  he  was  transferred  to  the  regular 
hospital,  as  has  already  been  mentioned. 

The  wreckers  went  out  the  moment  the  news  of  the 
calamity  of  the  Swash  reached  their  ears.  Some  went  in 
quest  of  the  doubloons  of  the  schooner,  and  others  to  pick 
up  anything  valuable  that  might  be  discovered  in  the  neigh 
bourhood  of  the  stranded  brig.  It  may  be  mentioned 


204  JACK  TIER; 

here,  that  not  much  was  ever  obtained  from  the  brigantine. 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  spars,  the  sails,  and  a  little 
rigging  ;  but,  in  the  end,  the  schooner  was  raised,  by  means 
of  the  chain  Spike  had  placed  around  her,  the  cabin  was 
ransacked,  and  the  doubloons  were  recovered.  As  there 
was  no  one  to  claim  the  money,  it  was  quietly  divided 
among  the  conscientious  citizens  present  at  its  re-visiting 
"  the  glimpses  of  the  moon,"  making  gold  plenty. 

The  doubloons  in  the  yawl  would  have  been  lost  but  for 
the  sagacity  of  Mulford.  He  too  well  knew  the  character 
of  Spike  to  believe"  he  would  quit  the  brig  without  taking 
the  doubloons  with  him.  Acquainted  with  the  boat,  he 
examined  the  little  locker  in  the  stern-sheets,  and  found 
the  two  bags,  one  of  which  was  probably  the  lawful  pro 
perty  of  Captain  Spike,  while  the  other,  in  truth,  belonged 
to  the  Mexican  government.  The  last  contained  the  most 
gold,  but  the  first  amounted  to  a  sum  that  our  young  mate 
knew  to  be  very  considerable.  Rose  had  made  him  ac 
quainted  with  the  sex  of  Jack  Tier  since  their  own  mar 
riage  ;  and  he  at  once  saw  that  the  claims  of  this  uncouth 
wife,  who  was  so  soon  to  be  a  widow,  to  the  gold  in  ques 
tion,  might  prove  to  be  as  good  in  law,  as  they  unquestion 
ably  were  in  moral?.  On  representing  the  facts  of  the  case 
to  Captain  Mull  and  the  legal  functionaries  at  Key  West, 
it  was  determined  to  relinquish  this  money  to  the  heirs  of 
Spike,  as,  indeed,  they  must  have  done  under  process,,  there 
being  no  other  claimant.  These  doubloons,  however,  did 
not  amount  to  the  full  price  of  the  flour  and  powder  that 
composed  the  cargo  of  the  Swash.  The  cargo  had  been 
purchased  with  Mexican  funds;  and  all  that  Spike  or  his 
heirs  could  claim,  was  the  high  freight  for  which  he  had 
undertaken  the  delicate  office  of  transporting  those  for 
bidden  articles,  contraband  of  war,  to  the  Dry  Tortugas. 

Mulford  by  this  time  was  high  in  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  all  on  board  the  Poughkrepsie.  He  had  frankly 
explained  his  whole  connexion  with  Spike,  not  even  attempt 
ing  to  conceal  the  reluctance  he  had  felt  to  betray  the  brig 
after  he  had  fully  ascertained  the  fact  of  his  commander's 
treason.  The  manly  gentlemen  with  whom  he  was  now 
brought  in  contact  entered  into  his  feelings,  and  admitted 
/that  it  was  an  office  no  one  could  desire,  to  turn  against 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  205 

the  craft  in  which  he  sailed.  It  is  true,  they  could  not 
and  would  not  be  traitors,  but  Muiford  had  stopped  far 
short  of  this ;  and  the  distinction  between  such  a  character 
and  that  of  an  informer  was  wide  enough  to  satisfy  ail  their 
scruples. 

Then  Rose  had  the  greatest  success  with  the  gentlemen 
of  the  Poughkeepsie.  Her  youth,  beauty,  and  modesty, 
told  largely  in  her  favour;  and  the  simple,  womanly  affec 
tion  she  unconsciously  betrayed  in  behalf  of  Harry,  touched 
the  heart  of  every  observer.  When  the  intelligence  of 
her  aunt's  fate  reached  her,  the  sorrow  she  manifested  was 
so  profound  and  natural,  that  every  one  sympathized  with 
her  grief.  Nor  would  she  be  satisfied  unless  Muiford 
would  consent  to  go  in  search  of  the  bodies.  The  latter 
knew  the  hopelessness  of  such  an  excursion,  but  he  could 
not  refuse  to  comply.  He  was  absent  on,  that  melancholy 
duty,  therefore,  at  the  moment  of  the  scene  related  in  our 
last  chapter,  and  did  not  return  until  after  that  which  we 
are  now  about  to  lay  before  the  reader.  Mrs.  Budd,  Biddy, 
and  all  of  those  who  perished  after  the  yawl  got  clear  of 
the  reef,  were  drowned  in  deep  water,  and  no  more  was 
ever  seen  of  any  of  them  ;  or,  if  wreckers  did  pass  them, 
they  did  not  stop  to  bury  the  dead.  It  was  different,  how 
ever,  with  those,  who  were  first  sacrificed  to  Spike's  selfish 
ness.  They  were  drowned  on  the  reef,  and  Harry  did 
actually  recover  the  bodies  of  the  Senor  Montefalderon, 
and  of  Josh,  the  steward.  They  had  washed  upon  a  rock 
that  is  bare  at  low  water.  He  took  them  both  to  the  Dry 
Tortugas,  and  had  them  interred  along  with  the  other  dead 
at  that  place.  Don  Juan  was  placed  side  by  side  with  his 
unfortunate  countryman,  the  master  of  his  equally  unfor 
tunate  schooner. 

While  Harry  was  absent  and  thus  employed,  Rose  wept 
much  and  prayed  more.  She  would  have  felt  herself 
almost  alone  in  the  world,  but  for  the  youth  to  whom  she 
had  so  recently,  less  than  a  week  before,  plighted  her  faith 
in  wedlock.  That  new  tie,  it  is  true,  was  of  sufficient  im 
portance  to  counteract  many  of  the  ordinary  feelings  of 
her  situation  ;  and  she  now  turned  to  it  as  the  one  which 
absorbed  most  of  the  future  duties  of  her  life.  Still  she 
missed  the  kindness,  the  solicitude,  even  the  weaknesses 

VOL.  II.  — 18 


206  JACK   TIER; 

of  her  aunt;  and  the  terrible  manner  in  which  Mrs.  Budd 
had  perished,  made  her  shudder  with  horror  whenever  sho 
thought  of  it.  Poor  Biddy,  too,  came  in  for  her  share  of 
the  regrets.  This  faithful  creature,  who  had  been  in  the 
relict's  service  ever  since  Rose's  infancy,  had  become  en 
deared  to  her,  in  spite  of  her  uncouth  manners  and  con 
fused  ideas,  by  the  warmth  of  her  heart,  and  the  singular 
truth  of  her  feelings.  Biddy,  of  all  her  family,  had  come 
to  America,  leaving  behind  her  not  only  brothers  and  sis 
ters,  but  parents  living.  Each  year  did  she  remit  to  the 
last  a  moiety  of  her  earnings,  and  many  a  half-dollar  that 
had  come  from  Rose's  pretty  little  hand,  had  been  con 
verted  into  gold,  and  forwarded  on  the  same  pious  errand 
to  the  green  island  of  her  nativity.  Ireland,  unhappy 
country!  at  this  moment  what  are  not  the  dire  necessities 
of  thy  poor!  Here,  from  the*midst  of  abundance,  in  a 
land  that  God  has  blessed  in  its  productions  far  beyond  the 
limits  of  human  wants,  a  land  in  which  famine  was  never 
known,  do  we  at  this  moment  hear  thy  groans,  and  listen 
to  tales  of  suffering  that  to  us  seem  almost  incredible.  In 
the  midst  of  these  chilling  narratives,  our  eyes  fall  on  an 
appeal  to  the  English  nation,  that  appears  in  what  it  is  the 
fashion  of  some  to  term  the  first  journal  of  Europe  (!)  in 
behalf  of  thy  suffering  people.  A  worthy  appeal  to  the 
charity  of  England  seldom  fails  ;  but  it  seems  to  us  that 
one  sentiment  of  this  might  have  been  alteredi  if  not  spared. 
The  English  are  asked  to  be  "  forgetful  of  the  past,"  and 
to  come  forward  to  the  relief  of  their  suffering  fellow-sub 
jects.  We  should  have  written  "mindful  of  the  past,"  in 
its  stead.  We  say  this  in  charity,  as  well  as  in  truth.  We 
come  of  English  blood,  and  if  we  claim  to  share  in  all  the 
ancient  renown  of  that  warlike  and  enlightened  people,  we 
are  equally  bound  to  share  in  the  reproaches  that  original 
misgovernment  has  inflicted  on  thee.  In  this  latter  sense, 
then,  thou  hast  a  right  to  our  sympathies,  and  they  are  not 
withheld. 

As  has  been  already  said,  we  now  advance  the  time 
eight-and-forty  hours,  and  again  transfer  the  scene  to  that 
room  in  the  hospital  which  was  occupied  by  Spike.  The 
approaches  of  death,  during  the  interval  just  named,  had 
been  slow  but  certain.  The  surgeons  had  announced  that 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  207 

the  wounded  man  could  not  possibly  survive  the  coming 
night;  and  he  himself  had  been  made  sensible  that  his  end 
was  near.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  Stephen 
Spike,  conscious  of  his  vigour  and  strength,  in  command 
of  his  brig,  and  bent  on  the  pursuits  of  worldly  gains,  or 
of  personal  gratification,  was  a  very  different  person  from 
him  who  now  lay  stretched  on  his  pallet  in  the  hospital  of 
Key  West,  a  dying  man.  By  the  side  of  his  bed  still  sat 
his  strange  nurse,  less  peculiar  in  appearance,  however, 
than  when  last  seen  by  the  reader. 

Rose  Budd  had  been  ministering  to  the  ungainly  exter 
nals  of  Jack  Tier.  She  now  wore  a  cap,  thus  concealing 
the  short,  grey  bristles  of  hair,  and  lending  to  her  coun 
tenance  a  little  of  that  softness  which  is  a  requisite  of 
female  character.  Some  attention  had  also  been  paid  to 
the  rest  of  her  attire ;  and  Jack  was,  altogether,  less  re 
pulsive  in  her  exterior  than  when,  unaided,  she  had 
attempted  to  resume  the  proper  garb  of  her  sex.  Use  and 
association,  too,  had  contributed  a  little  to  revive  her 
woman's  nature,  if  we  may  so  express  it,  and  she  had  begun, 
in  particular,  to  feel  the  sort  of  interest  in  her  patient  which 
we  all  come  in  time  to  entertain  toward  any  object  of  our 
especial  care.  We  do  not  mean  that  Jack  had  absolutely 
ever  ceased  to  love  her  husband  ;  strange  as  it  may  seem, 
such  had  not  literally  been  the  case;  on  the  contrary,  her 
interest,  in  him  and  in  his  welfare  had  never  ceased,  even 
while  she  saw  his  vices  and  detested  his  crimes;  but  all 
we  wish  to  say  here  is,  that  she  was  getting,  in  addition  to 
the  long-enduring  feelings  of  a  wife,  some  of  the  interest 
of  a  nurse. 

During  the  whole  time  which  had  elapsed  between 
Jack's  revealing  her  true  character,  and  the  moment  of 
which  we  are  now  writing,  Spike  had  not  once  spoken  to 
his  wife.  Often  had  she  caught  his  eyes  intently  riveted 
on  her,  when  he  would  turn  them  away,  as  she  feared,  in 
distaste  ;  and  once  or  twice  he  groaned  deeply,  more  like  a 
man  who  suffered  mental  than  bodily  pain.  Still  the  patient 
did  not  speak  once  in  all  the  time  mentioned.  We  should 
be  representing  poor  Jack  as  possessing  more  philosophy, 
or  less  feeling,  than  the  truth  would  warrant,  were  we  to 
say  that  she  was  not  hurt  at  this  conduct  in  her  husband. 


208  JACK  TIER; 

On  the  contrary,  she  felt  it  deeply ;  and  more  than  once  it 
had  so  far  subdued  her  pride,  as  to  cause  her  bitterly  to 
weep.  This  shedding  of  tears,  however,  was  of  service  to 
Jack  in  one  sense,  for  it  had  the  effect  of  renewing  old 
impressions,  and  in  a  certain  way,  of  reviving  the  nature 
of  her  sex  within  her — a  nature  which  had  been  sadly 
weakened  by  her  past  life. 

But  the  hour  had  at  length  come  when  this  long  and 
painful  silence  was  to  be  broken.  Jack  and  Rose  were 
alone  with  the  patient,  when  the  last  again  spoke  to  his 
wife. 

"Molly  —  poor  Molly!"  said  the  dying  man,  his  voice 
continuing  full  and  deep  to  the  last,  "  what  a  sad  time  you 
must  have  had  of  it  after  I  did  you  that  wrong  !" 

"It  is  hard  upon  a  woman,  Stephen,  to  turn  her  out, 
helpless,  on  a  cold  and  selfish  world,"  answered  Jack,  sim 
ply,  much  too  honest  to  affect  a  reserve  she  did  not  feel. 

"  It  was  hard,  indeed;  may  God  forgive  me  for  it,  as  I 
hope  ye  do,  Molly." 

No  answer  was  made  to  this  appeal;  and  the  invalid 
looked  anxiously  at  his  wife.  The  last  sat  at  her  work, 
which  had  now  got  to  be  less  awkward  to  her,  with  her  eyes 
bent  on  her  needle,  —  her  countenance  rigid,  and,  so  far 
as  the  eye  could  discern,  her  feelings  unmoved. 

"  Your  husband  speaks  to  you,  Jack  Tier,"  said  Rose, 
pointedly. 

"  May  yours  never  have  occasion  to  speak  to  you,  Rose 
Budd,  in  the  same  way,"  was  the  solemn  answer.  "  I  do 
not  flatter  myself  that  I  ever  was  as  comely  as  you,  or  that 
yonder  poor  dying  wretch  was  a  Harry  Mulford  in  his 
youth  ;  but  we  were  young  and  happy,  and  respected  once, 
and  loved  each  other,  yet  you  see  what  it's  all  come  to  !" 

Rose  was  silenced,  though  she  had  too  much  tenderness 
in  behalf  of  her  own  youthful  and  manly  bridegroom  to 
dread  a  fate  similar  to  that  which  had  overtaken  poor  Jack. 
Spike  now  seemed  disposed  to  say  something,  and  she  went 
to  the  side  of  his  bed,  followed  by  her  companion,  who 
kept  a  little  in  the  back-ground,  as  if  unwilling  to  let  the 
emotion  she  really  felt  be  seen,  and,  perhaps,  conscious  that 
her  unjrainly  appearance  did  not  aid  her  in  recovering  the 
lost  affections  of  her  husband. 


OR,   THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  209 

"  I  have  been  a  very  wicked  man,  I  fear,"  said  Spike, 
earnestly. 

"  There  are  none  without  sin,"  answered  Rose.  "  Place 
your  reliance  on  the  mediation  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  sins 
even  far  deeper  than  yours  may  be  pardoned." 

The  captain  stared  at  the  beautiful  speaker,  but  self-in 
dulgence,  the  incessant  pursuit  of  worldly  and  selfish 
objects  for  forty  years,  and  the  habits  of  a  life  into  which 
the  thought  of  God  and  the  dread  hereafter  never  entered, 
had  encased  his  spiritual  being  in  a  sort  of  brazen  armour, 
through  which  no  ordinary  blow  of  conscience  could  pene 
trate.  Still  he  had  fearful  glimpses  of  recent  events,  and 
his  soul,  hanging  as  it  was  over  the  abyss  of  eternity,  was 
troubled. 

"  What  has  become  of  your  aunt  1"  half  whispered  Spike 
— "  my  old  captain's  widow.  She  ought  to  be  here  ;  and 
Don  Wan  Montezuma — where  is  he?" 

Rose  turned  aside  to  conceal  her  tears — but  no  one  an 
swered  the  questions  of  the  dying  man.  Then  a  gleaming 
of  childhood  shot  into  the  recollection  of  Spike,  and, 
clasping  his  hands,  he  tried  to  pray.  But,  like  others  who 
have  lived  without  any  communication  with  their  Creator 
through  long  lives  of  apathy  to  his  existence  and  laws, 
thinking  only  of  the  present  time,  and  daily,  hourly  sacri 
ficing  principles  and  duty  to  the  narrow  interests  of  the 
moment,  he  now  found  how  hard  it  is  to  renew  communi 
cations  with  a  being  who  has  been  so  long  neglected.  The 
fault  lay  in  himself,  however,  for  a  gracious  ear  was  open, 
even  over  the  death-bed  of  Stephen  Spike,  could  that  rude 
spirit  only  bring  itself  to  ask  for  mercy  in  earnestness  and 
truth.  As  his  companions  saw  his  struggles,  they  left  him 
for  a  few  minutes  to  his  own  thoughts. 

"  Molly,"  Spike  at  length  uttered,  in  a  faint  tone,  the 
voice  of  one  conscious  of  being  very  near  his  end,  "  I  hope 
you  will  forgive  me,  Molly.  I  know  you  must  have  a  hard, 
hard  time  of  it." 

"  It  is  hard  for  a  woman  to  unsex  herself,  Stephen;  to 
throw  off  her  very  natur',  as  it  might  be,  and  to  turn  man." 

"  It  has  changed  you  sadly — even  your  speech  is  altered. 
Once  your  voice  was  soft  and  womanish —  more  like  that 
of  Rose  Budd's  than  it  is  now." 
18* 


210  JACK  TIER; 

"  I  speak  as  them  speak  among  whom  I  've  been  forced 
to  live.  The  forecastle  and  steward's  pantry,  Stephen 
Spike,  are  poor  schools  to  send  women  to  1'arn  language 
in." 

"  Try  and  forget  it  all,  poor  Molly  !  Say  to  me,  so  that 
I  can  hear  you,  '  I  forget  and  forgive,  Stephen.'  I  am 
afraid  God  will  not  pardon  my  sins,  which  begin  to  seem 
dreadful  to  me,  if  my  own  wife  refuse  to  forget  and  forgive, 
on  my  dying  bed." 

Jack  was  much  mollified  by  this  appeal.  Her  interest 
in  her  offending  husband  had  never  been  entirely  extin 
guished.  She  had  remembered  him,  and  often  with  woman's 
kindness,  in  all  her  wanderings  and  sufferings,  as  the  pre 
ceding  parts  of  our  narrative  must  show;  and  though  re 
sentment  had  been  mingled  with  the  grief  and  mortification 
she  felt  at  finding  how  much  he  still  submitted  to  Rose's 
superior  charms,  in  a  breast  as  really  generous  and  humane 
as  that  of  Jack  Tier's,  such  a  feeling  was  not  likely  to  en 
dure  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  like  that  she  was  now  called 
to  witness.  The  muscles  of  her  countenance  twitched, 
the  hard-looking,  tanned  face  began  to  lose  its  sternness, 
and  every  way  she  appeared  like  one  profoundly  disturbed. 

"  Turn  to  Him  whose  goodness  arid  marcy  may  sarve 
you,  Stephen,"  she  said,  in  a  milder  and  more  feminine 
tone  than  she  had  used  now  for  years,  making  her  more 
like  herself  than  either  her  husband  or  Rose  had  seen  her 
since  the  commencement  of  the  late  voyage  ;  "  my  sayin' 
that  I  forget  and  forgive  cannot  help  a  man  on  his  death 
bed." 

"  It  will  settle  my  mind,  Molly,  and  leave  me  freer  to 
turn  my  thoughts  to  God." 

Jack  was  much  affected,  more  by  the  countenance  and 
manner  of  the  sufferer,  perhaps,  than  by  his  words.  She 
drew  nearer  to  the  side  of  her  husband's  pallet,  knelt,  took 
his  hands,  and  said  solemnly, 

"  Stephen  Spike,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  I  do  for 
give  you ;  and  I  shall  pray  to  God  that  he  will  pardon  your 
sins  as  freely  and  more  marcifully  than  I  now  pardon  all, 
and  try  to  forget  all  that  you  have  done  to  me." 

Spike  clasped  his  hands,  and  again  he  tried  to  pray;  but 
the  habits  of  a  whole  life  are  riot  to  be  thrown  off  at  will ; 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF.  211 

and  he  who  endeavours  to  regain,  in  his  extremity,  the 
moments  that  have  been  lost,  will  find,  in  bitter  reality, 
that  he  has  been  heaping  mountains  on  his  own  soul,  by 
the  mere  practice  of  sin,  which  were  never  laid  there  by 
the  original  fall  of  his  race.  Jack,  however,  had  disbur- 
thened  her  spirit  of  a  load  that  had  long  oppressed  it,  and, 
burying  her  face  in  the  rug,  she  wept. 

"  I  wish,  Molly,"  said  the  dying  man,  several  minutes 
later,  "I  wish  I  had  never  seen  the  brig.  Until  I  got  that 
craft,  no  thought  of  wronging  human  being  ever  crossed 
my  mind." 

"  It  was  the  Father  of  Lies  that  tempts  all  to  do  evil, 
Stephen,  and  not  the  brig  which  caused  the  sins." 

"  I  wish  I  could  live  a  year  longer — only  one  year;  that 
is  not  much  to  ask  for  a  man  who  is  not  yet  sixty." 

"  It  is  hopeless,  poor  Stephen.  The  surgeons  say  you 
cannot  live  one  day." 

Spike  groaned — for  the  past,  blended  fearfully  with  the 
future,  gleamed  on  his  conscience  with  a  brightness  that 
appalled  him.  And  what  is  that  future,  which  is  to  make 
us  happy  or  miserable  through  an  endless  vista  of  time  1 
Is  it  not  composed  of  an  existence,  in  which  conscience, 
released  from  the  delusions  and  weaknesses  of  the  body, 
sees  all  in  its  true  colours,  appreciates  all,  and  punishes 
all  1  Such  an  existence  would  make  every  man  the  keeper 
of  the  record  of  his  own  transgressions,  even  to  the  most 
minute  exactness.  It  would  of  itself  mete  out  perfect  jus 
tice,  since,  the  sin  would  be  seen  amid  its  accompanying 
facts,  every  aggravating  or  extenuating  circumstance. 
Each  man  would  be  strictly  punished  according  to  his 
talents.  As  no  one  is  without  sin,  it  makes  the  necessity 
of  an  atonement  indispensable,  and,  in  its  most  rigid  in 
terpretation,  it  exhibits  the  truth  of  the  scheme  of  salvation 
in  the  clearest  colours.  The  soul,  or  conscience,  that  can 
admit  the  necessary  degree  of  faith  in  that  atonement,  and 
in  admitting,  feels  its  efficacy,  throws  the  burthen  of  its 
own  transgressions  away,  and  remains  for  ever  in  the 
condition  of  its  original  existence,  pure,  and  consequently 
happy. 

We  do  not  presume  to  lay  down  a  creed  on  this  mighty 
and  mysterious  matter,  in  which  all  have  so  deep  an  inte- 


212  JACK   TIER; 

rest,  and  concerning  which  so  very  small  a  portion  of  the 
human  race  think  much,  or  think  with  any  clearness  when 
it  does  become  the  subject  of  their  passing  thoughts  at  all. 
We  too  well  know  our  own  ignorance  to  venture  on  dog 
mas  which  it  has  probably  been  intended  that  the  mind  of 
man  should  riot  yet  grapple  with  and  comprehend.  To 
return  to  our  subject. 

Stephen  Spike  was  now  made  to  feel  the  incubus-load, 
which  perseverance  in  sin  heaps  on  the  breast  of  the  reck 
less  offender.  What  was  the  most  grievous  of  all,  his 
power  to  shake  off  this  dead  weight  was  diminished  in 
precisely  the  same  proportion  as  the  burthen  was  increased, 
the  moral  force  of  every  man  lessening  in  a  very  just  ratio 
to  the  magnitude  of  his  delinquencies.  Bitterly  did  this 
deep  offender  struggle  with  his  conscience,  and  little  did 
his  half-unsexed  wife  know  how  to  console  or  aid  him. 
Jack  had  been  superficially  instructed  in  the  dogmas  of 
her  faith,  in  childhood  and  youth,  as  most  persons  are  in 
structed  in  what  are  termed  Christian  communities  —  had 
been  made  to  learn  the  Catechism,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and 
the  Creed — and  had  been  left  to  set  up  for  herself  on  this 
small  capital,  in  the  great  concern  of  human  existence,  on 
her  marriage  arid  entrance  on  the  active  business  of  life. 
When  the  manner  in  which  she  had  passed  the  last  twenty 
years  is  remembered,  no  one  can  be  surprised  to  learn  that 
Jack  was  of  little  assistance  to  her  husband  in  his  extrem 
ity.  Rose  made  an  effort  to  administer  hope  and  conso 
lation,  but  the  terrible  nature  of  the  struggle  she  wit 
nessed,  induced  her  to  send  for  the  chaplain  of  the  Pough- 
keepsie.  This  divine  prayed  with  the  dying  man ;  but 
even  he,  in  the  last  moments  of  the  sufferer,  was  little 
more  than  a  passive  but  shocked  witness  of  remorse,  sus 
pended  over  the  abyss  of  eternity  in  hopeless  dread.  We 
shall  not  enter  into  the  details  of  the  revolting  scene,  but 
simply  add  that  curses,  blasphemy,  tremulous  cries  for 
mercy,  agonized  entreaties  to  be  advised,  and  sullen  de 
fiance,  were  all  strangely  and  fearfully  blended.  In  the 
midst  of  one  of  these  revolting  paroxysms,  Spike  breathed 
his  last.  A  few  hours  later,  his  body  was  interred  in  the 
sands  of  the  shore.  It  may  be  well  to  say  in  this  place, 
that  the  hurricane  of  1846,  which  is  known  to  have  oc- 


OR,     THE     FLORIDA     REEF. 

eurred  only  a  few  months  later,  swept  off  the  frail  cover 
ing,  and  that  the  body  was  washed  away  to  leave  its  bones 
among  the  wrecks  and  relics  of  the  Florida  Reef. 

Mulford  did  not  return  from  his  fruitless  expedition 
in  quest  of  the  remains  of  Mrs.  Budd,  until  after  the  death 
and  interment  of  Spike.  As  nothing  remained  to  be  dona 
at  Key  West,  he  and  Rose  accompanied  by  Jack  Tier, 
took  passage  for  Charleston  in  the  first  convenient  vessel 
that  offered.  Two  days  before  they  sailed,  the  Pough- 
keepsie  went  out  to  cruise  in  the  Guif,  agreeably  to  her 
general  orders.  The  evening  previously  Captain  Mull, 
Wallace,  and  the  chaplain,  passed  with  the  bridegroom 
and  bride,  when  the  matter  of  the  doubloons  found  in  the 
boat  was  discussed.  It  was  agreed  that  Jack  Tier  should 
have  them ;  and  into  her  hands  the  bag  was  now  placed. 
On  this  occasion,  to  oblige  the  oflicers,  Jack  went  into  a 
narrative  of  all  she  had  seen  and  suffered,  from  the 
moment  when  abandoned  by  her  late  husband  down  to 
that  when  she  found  him  again.  It  was  a  strange  account, 
and  one  filled  with  surprising  adventures.  In  most  of  the 
vessels  in  which  she  had  served,  Jack  had  acted  in  the 
steward's  department,  though  she  had  frequently  done  duty 
as  a  fore-mast  hand.  In  strength  and  skill  she  admitted 
that  she  had  often  failed ;  but  in  courage,  never.  Having 
been  given  reason  to  think  her  husband  was  reduced  to 
serving  in  a  vessel  of  war,  she  had  shipped  on  board  a 
frigate  bound  to  the  Mediterranean,  and  had  actually  made 
a  whole  cruise  as  a  ward-room  boy  on  that  station.  While 
thus  employed,  she  had  met  with  two  of  the  gentlemen 
present;  Captain  Mull  and  Mr.  Wallace.  The  former  was 
then  first-lieutenant  of  the  frigate,  and  the  latter  a  passed- 
midshipman  ;  and  in  these  capacities  both  had  been  well 
known  to  her.  As  the  name  she  then  bore  was  the  same 
as  that  under  which  she  now  "  hailed,"  these  officers  were 
soon  made  to  recollect  her,  though  Jack  was  no  longer  the 
light,  trim-built  lad  he  had  then  appeared  to  be.  Neither 
of  the  gentlemen  named  had  made  the  whole  cruise  in  the 
ship,  but  each  had  been  promoted  and  transferred  to  an 
other  craft,  after  being  Jack's  shipmate  rather  more  than  a 
year.  This  information  greatly  facilitated  the  affair  of  the 
doubloons. 


214  JACK  TIER; 

From  Charleston  the  travellers  came  north  by  rail-road. 
Harry  made  several  stops  by  the  way,  in  order  to  divert 
the  thoughts  of  his  beautiful  young  bride  from  dwelling 
too  much  on  the  fate  of  her  aunt.  He  knew  that  home 
would  revive  all  these  recollections  painfully,  and  wished 
to  put  off  the  hour  of  their  return,  until  time  had  a  little 
weakened  Rose's  regrets.  For  this  reason,  he  passed  a 
whole  week  in  Washington,  though  it  was  a  season  of  the 
year  that  the  place  is  not  in  much  request.  Still,  Wash 
ington  is  scarce  a  town,  at  any  season.  It  is  much  the 
fashion  to  deride  the  American  capital,  and  to  treat  it  as  a 
place  of  very  humble  performance  with  very  sounding 
pretensions.  Certainly,  Washington  has  very  few  of  the 
peculiarities  of  a  great  European  capital,  but  few  as  these 
are,  they  are  more  than  belong  to  any  other  place  in  this 
country.  We  now  allude  to  the  distinctive  characteristics 
of  a  capital,  and  not  to  a  mere  concentration  of  houses 
and  shops  within  a  given  space.  In  this  last  respect, 
Washington  is  much  behind  fifty  other  American  towns, 
even  while  it  is  the  only  place  in  the  whole  republic  which 
possesses  specimens  of  architecture,  on  a  scale  approach 
ing  that  of  the  higher  classes  of  the  edifices  of  the  old 
world.  It  is  totally  deficient  in  churches,  and  theatres, 
and  markets;  or  those  it  does  possess  are,  in  an  architec 
tural  sense,  not  at  all  above  the  level  of  village  or  country- 
town  pretensions,  but  one  or  two  of  its  national  edifices 
do  approach  the  magnificence  and  grandeur  of  the  old 
world.  The  new  Treasury  Buildings  are  unquestionably, 
on  the  score  of  size,  embellishments  and  finish,  the  Ameri 
can  edifice  that  comes  nearest  to  first  class  architecture 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  The  Capitol  comes 
next,  though  it  can  scarce  be  ranked,  relatively,  as  high. 
As  for  the  White  House,  it  is  every  way  sufficient  for  its 
purposes  and  the  institutions ;  and  now  that  its  grounds  are 
finished,  and  the  shrubbery  and  trees  begin  to  tell,  one 
sees  about  it  something  that  is  not  unworthy  of  its  high 
uses  and  origin.  Those  grounds,  which  so  long  lay  a  re 
proach  to  the  national  taste  and  liberality,  are  now  fast 
becoming  beautiful,  are  already  exceedingly  pretty,  and 
give  to  a  structure  that  is  destined  to  become  historical, 
having  already  associated  with  it  the  names  of  Jefferson, 


OR,    THE     FLORIDA     REEF. 

Madison,  Jackson,  and  Quincy  Adams,  together  with  the 
ci  polloi  of  the  later  Presidents,  an  entourage  that  is  suit 
able  to  its  past  recollections  and  its  present  purposes. 
They  are  not  quite  on  a  level  with  the  parks  of  London, 
it  is  true;  or  even  with  the  Tuileries,  or  Luxembourg,  or 
the  Boboli,  or  the  Villa  Reale,  or  fifty  more  grounds  and 
gardens,  of  a  similar  nature,  that  might  be  mentioned ; 
but,  seen  in  the  spring  and  early  summer,  they  adorn  the 
building  they  surround,  and  lend  to  the  whole  neighbour 
hood  a  character  of  high  civilization,  that  no  other  place 
in  America  can  show,  in  precisely  the  same  form,  or  to  the 
same  extent. 

This  much  have  we  said  on  the  subject  of  the  White 
House  and  its  precincts,  because  we  took  occasion,  in  a 
former  work,  to  berate  the  narrow-minded  parsimony 
which  left  the  grounds  of  the  White  House  in  a  condition 
that  was  discreditable  to  the  republic.  How  far  our  phi 
lippic  may  have  hastened  the  improvements  which  have 
been  made,  is  more  than  we  shall  pretend  to  say ;  but 
having  made  the  former  strictures,  we  are  happy  to  have  an 
occasion  to  say  (though  nearly  twenty  years  have  inter 
vened  between  the  expressions  of  the  two  opinions)  that 
they  are  no  longer  merited. 

And  here  we  will  add  another  word,  and  that  on  a  sub 
ject  that  is  not  sufficiently  pressed  on  the  attention  of  a 
people,  who,  by  position,  are  unavoidably  provincial.  We 
invite  those  whose  gorges  rise  at  any  stricture  on  anything 
American,  and  who  fancy  it  is  enough  to  belong  to  the 
great  republic  to  be  great  in  itself,  to  place  themselves  in 
front  of  the  State  Department,  as  it  now  stands,  and  to 
examine  its  dimensions,  material  and  form  with  critical 
eyes  ,  then  to  look  along  the  adjacent  Treasury  Buildings, 
to  fancy  them  completed,  by  a  junction  with  new  edifices 
of  a  similar  construction  to  contain  the  department  of 
state ;  next  to  fancy  similar  works  completed  for  the  two 
opposite  departments;  after  which,  to  compare  the  past 
and  present  with  the  future  as  thus  finished,  and  remem 
ber  how  recent  has  been  the  partial  •  improvement  which 
even  now  exists.  If  this  examination  and  comparison  do 
not  show,  directly  to  the  sense  of  sight,  how  much  there 
was  and  is  to  criticise,  as  put  in  contrast  with  other  coun- 


JACK  TIER; 

tries,  \ve  shall  give  up  the  individuals  in  question,  as  too 
deeply  dyed  in  the  provincial  wool  ever  to  be  whitened. 
The  present  Trinity  church,  New  York,  certainly  not  more 
than  a  third  class  European  church,  if  as  much,  compared 
with  its  village-like  predecessor,  may  supply  a  practical 
homily  of  the  same  degree  of  usefulness.  There  may  be 
those  among  us,  however,  who  fancy  it  patriotism  to  main 
tain  that  the  old  Treasury  Buildings  were  quite  equal 
to  the  new,  and  of  these  intense  Americans  we  cry  their 
mercy ! 

Rose  felt  keenly  on  reaching  her  late  aunt's  very  neat 
dwelling  in  Fourteenth  Street,  New  York.  But  the  manly 
tenderness  of  Mulford  was  a  great  support  to  her,  arid  a 
little  time  brought  her  to  think  of  that  weak-minded,  but 
well-meaning  and  affectionate  relative,  with  gentle  regret, 
rather  than  with  grief.  Among  the  connexions  of  her 
young  husband,  she  found  several  females  of  a  class  in  life 
certainly  equal  to  her  own,  and  somewhat  superior  to  the 
latter  in  education  and  habits.  As  for  Harry,  he  very 
gladly  passed  the  season  with  his  beautiful  bride,  though  a 
fine  ship  was  laid  down  for  him,  by  means  of  Rose's  for 
tune,  now  much  increased  by  her  aunt's  death,  and  he  was 
absent  in  Europe  when  his  son  was  born;  an  event  that 
occurred  only  two  months  since. 

The  Swash,  and  the  shipment  of  gunpowder,  were 
thought  of  no  more  in  the  good  town  of  Manhattan.  This 
great  emporium — we  beg  pardon,  this  great  commercial 
emporium — has  a  trick  of  forgetting,  condensing  all  inte 
rests  into  those  of  the  present  moment.  It  is  much  ad 
dicted  to  believing  that  which  never  had  an  existence,  and 
of  overlooking  that  which  is  occurring  directly  under  its 
•nose.  So  marked  is  this  tendency  to  forgetfulness,  we 
should  not  be  surprised  to  hear  some  of  the  Manhattanese 
pretend  that  cur  legend  is  nothing  but  a  fiction,  and  deny 
the  existence  of  the  MolJy,  Captain  Spike,  and  even  of 
Biddy  Noon<  But  we  know  them  too  well  to  mind  what 
they  say,  and  shall  go  on  and  finish  our  narrative  in  our 
own  way,  just  as  if  there  were  no  such  raven-throated  com 
mentators  at  all. 

Jack  Tier,  still  known  by  that  name,  lives  in  the  family 
of  Captain  Mulford.  She  is  fast  losing  the  tan  on  her  face 


Ott,    tfttfi    FLORIDA    KEEP.  21? 

and  hands,  and  every  day  is  improving  in  appearance.  She 
now  habitually  wears  her  proper  attire,  and  is  dropping 
gradually  into  the  feelings  and  habits  of  her  sex.  She 
never  can  become  what  she  once  was,  any  more  than  the 
blackamoor  can  become  white,  or  the  leopard  change  his 
spots;  but  she  is  no  longer  revolting.  She  has  left  off 
chewing  and  smoking,  having  found  a  refuge  in  snuff. 
Her  hair  is  permitted  to  grow,  and  is  already  turned  up 
with  a  comb,  though  constantly  concealed  beneath  a  cap. 
The  heart  of  Jack,  alone,  seems  unaltered.  The  strange, 
tiger-like  affection  that  she  bore  for  Spike,  during  twenty 
years  of  abandonment,  has  disappeared  in  regrets  for  his 
end.  It  is  succeeded  by  a  most  sincere  attachment  for 
Rose,  in  which  the  little  boy,  since  his  appearance  on  the 
scene,  is  becoming  a  large  participator.  This  child  Jack 
is  beginning  to  love  intensely  ;  and  the  doubloons,  well  in 
vested,  placing  her  above  the  feeling  of  dependence,  she  is 
likely  to  end  her  life,  once  so  errant  and  disturbed,  in  tran 
quillity  and  a  home-like  happiness. 


THE  END. 


14  DAY  USE 

i  RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

RENEWALS  ONLY—TEL.  NO.  642-3405 
This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


^ 

<'«3t<t< 


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